Airports

I love airports - not necessarily the planes, but the people. There is something so heart warming for me watching people connect with one another after time away. I love the soldiers coming home from their stations, kids coming back from college greeted by their tearful moms, daddies welcomed home by gleeful kids even if they've only been away overnight, and grandpa's seeing their new granddaughters for the first time.....

After picking up Grandpa (Doug's dad) & Grandma Judy, we headed down to Long Beach for a little lunch.

Grandpa will be with us for five days - we are so happy that Becky is meeting some of her St. Louis family!!!

Baby steps

One big step(s) for one little girl!!!

This was taken on Thanksgiving Day - since then, she has decided it's much easier to crawl!

Odds & Ends

I am very behind in posting...but I think my New Year's resolution will be to be more diligent in updating our blog; it's really a journal for us, so I hate to miss too many days & leave things out! So in an effort to catch up on our lives - here are some odds & ends from the past week!

Some great pictures of our wonderful trip to Houston - we just loved being with Will, Harry & Kate (and their mom & dad, too!!)Presents from Paris - thanks to our friends Jeri & Bill for remembering Becky while they are on the adventure of a lifetime in Europe

We had some professional pictures taken by Christopher Thompson. We got to him through Celebrating Adoption, an effort by professional photographers to help adoptive families with the expense of having professional pictures taken of their new family members. He did a great job - here are some of my favorites!

Becky went to her first Christmas Party tonight at the retirement home my grandma lives in - this first picture of her isn't the best, but I wanted to show her pretty dress!

A Long Red Thread

I started this post on Friday night & had every intent of finishing it over the weekend - but , alas, Becky & I brought home souvenir colds from our trips - bad ones. We have both been really sick - so to see all the wonderful pictures of our trip, visit Kim's blog (just click on her name) - scroll down to the entry's on Karen & Becky's visit (there are 2 parts) - and thanks to Kim for faithfully blogging!

There is a Chinese saying "There is an invisible red thread which connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of place or situation. The thread may stretch or tangle but never break...". This red thread in my life stretches over 30 (YIKES) years! Dave & I were friends in boarding school and we have remained friends over the years. When he met his wife Kim back in the early 90's, she & I also became good friends. This week, I took Becky to see them, their two boys Will and Harry, and their 30 month old daughter, Kate Emerson. Kate Emerson came home from China on April 4, 2007 and we received our referral for Becky on April 4, 2008. This was Dave & I on Tuesday night with our girls

Soup Supper

For the past four years, the Saturday night after Thanksgiving, we have hosted a simple soup supper for our neighbors. We are so blessed to live on a block filled with wonderful, caring people who support us tremendously (and look after poor Sailor when we travel!) God truly placed us in the right home in the right neighborhood!

sorry it has taken me so long to update...Becky & I have been gone all week to Texas to visit old friends....look for a long post tomorrow - or for a sneak preview....visit them at home!

Thankfulness - and giving back

We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. We are thankful for our salvation through Jesus Christ, our family who are all healthy, Doug's job situation and the blessings of his work, but most of all, we are thankful that this year, God delivered our baby to us.

We are thankful that this year, she no longer lays in a crib where the mattress is a wooden board, in a room totally devoid of color, sharing the attention of four over-worked nannies with 30 other babies. We are thankful that when she cries, we are there for her. We are thankful that she will never again know what it is to be hungry, to have an unmet need or to cry without comfort.

We are eternally grateful for the staff at Hauzhou Social Welfare Institute. Without what they do, there would be no place for these children to be cared for while they wait for their forever families. We are working with a church in Hong Kong to make this place a better environment for those left behind ~ because we have not forgotten. This photo of Becky was taken about 3 weeks before she came to us

The first project that our friends in Hong Kong are working on is a playground for the kids - this is what their current playground looks like -

This is the vision for the kids. There are currently 44 special needs kids living in this SWI - and at this time, they are not eligible to be adopted, so they will live here for the rest of their lives. Having a colorful place to play is no substitute for a family, but it may bring a small measure of joy into their lives.

This year as we enter into the time of giving, if you are considering blessing Becky or our family with a token of your love, we ask instead that you send a donation to the project. You may mail it to:

EFCC-Discovery Bay International Community Church

3A, #55 Crestmonth Villa

Discovery Bay, Hong Kong

Carol Hicks is overseeing this project to insure that the funds are spent wisely and are directed to where the SWI needs them the most. Thank you for remembering that we are blessed this year.

Licking the Spoon

Becky discovered a good, old fashioned tradition this morning as I was making our Thanksgiving dessert (a fabulous roasted sweet potato cheesecake.....)