What could be better than this?

Making smores in the backyard with my family...I can think of nothing better than this...

Welcome to Sin City...

After three days in Las Vegas, I discovered why Sin City is an appropriate nickname for this glitzy spot in the desert. If you are not really into blowing money, drinking, expensive shopping or women who left most of their clothing at home, then Las Vegas is not the place for you. I'm pretty sure my mouth hit the floor several times at some of the clothing the girls were wearing (or lack thereof). Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the relaxing mornings to myself. We enjoyed spending time together just the two of us. We loved our massage and most of the entertainment during our stay. All that being said, I'm pretty sure the words "Let's go to Vegas" will never come out of my mouth. If he had another business trip to Vegas I would want to go with him just to spend time together but I would want to do that no matter where he went. As for Vegas...I came...I saw...I left...once is enough for me.

the Venetian Resort...

The view from our suite...
Daddy (sporting the deer in the headlights look) and his business partner at the Trade Show showing off their best statue pose. Both were hoping to take home the Harley Davidson motorcycle but no such luck.

Our entertainment:
-Jay Leno...
No photos allowed during his performance but he was really funny.
-Blue Man Group...
I was a little freaked out during the performance. It was weird but enjoyable. They were just freaking me out with their eyes. Every time they would come out into the audience I would just cringe when they got close. It takes a lot of talent to play a PVC pipe with drum sticks and still sound awesome.

-Chris Gardner...
the Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith was based upon his life. One of the highlights of our trip was hearing him speak.
-Spamalot...
We were supposed to see Phantom of the Opera but the performance was canceled. This was not Phantom but it was good.
-KC and the Sunshine Band...
ummm...interesting. A 57 year old man singing passionately to women my age, sweating profusely and "taking us back to 1976". We weren't born in 1976. We bailed on him and headed for a gondola ride...
complete with singing gondolier...

Inside St. Mark's Square. Yes, this is INSIDE. The clouds moved across the "sky" like you are actually outside but it was daylight all day long. It was amazing! The statue was actually a real person.

Outside the Venetian Resort Hotel...Caesar's Palace...
All dressed up for the Gala...
Daddy's business partner (and friend) D and his lovely wife MWe loved the hotel and all of the entertainment. We enjoyed the time together and the company of good friends. So long Las Vegas...it's been an interesting experience. :-)

Top 10 things I learned while in Las Vegas...

• The Venetian Hotel was 5 stars. The food was 3 stars. The service was 5 stars. Canyon Ranch Spa at the Venetian was 10 stars! Wonder how they can afford such luxury?

• Shopping at Frederick's of Hollywood and/or Victoria's Secret for everyday clothing is normal and accepted

• There are no rules for billboard advertisements

• It is acceptable for Australian men in very tight pants and bow ties to advertise their "show" on the street corner

• If someone is flicking what APPEARS to be a baseball card in your face DO NOT TAKE IT! (Think baseball cards for "ladies of the evening" complete with photo in uniform, physical statistics and contact information--enough said)

• Everything is ridiculously expensive--ex: (1) "All American breakfast" via room service--$34.00

• If desert winds are greater than 30 mph it is not safe to be outside...especially when the pool is on the roof and empty pool chairs are blowing over
  

• If the sign says "European Bathing" you do not belong there
  

• It is not uncommon to find people laughing hysterically and drinking Corona at 6 AM after a full night of, well, who knows what? (noted during our 6 AM departure Friday morning--no, I wasn't one of them)
  

• Many moons ago someone dubbed Las Vegas "Sin City". Their description still holds true.

Photos and commentary to follow.

The Chapman Family...

We are still in Las Vegas and are headed home in the morning. Today my heart is heavy after hearing the news of the tragic death of Maria Chapman, daughter of Steven and Mary Beth Chapman. She was 5 years old, the youngest of six children and their third daughter adopted from China.

The Chapman's have a special place in my heart as they do for many in the adoption community. Not only have I always loved his music, as a couple they have such a passion for the very same thing God has laid on our hearts: adoption. They have used the fortune they have been blessed to encourage and provide adoption assistance through their charity Shaohannah's Hope. I have heard their very powerful testimony about the adoption of their girls and it is an inspiration to many.

Our hearts break for their tragic loss and also for their son who was somehow involved. To mourn the loss of a daughter and comfort a son must be an unbearable burden. For months I have been in love with his new song "Cinderella". He wrote the song for his daughters Shaoey, Stevie Joy and Maria. Both Daddy and I were brought to tears the first time we heard it together. We could see MG in that song and what perspective it brought to both of us as we take on the day to day challenges of parenting. Today, the lyrics take on new meaning as the irony of "Cinderella" has played out in an unimaginable way for this family. From this day forward it will remind me of a little girl named Maria Sue Chapman.

There's a ball at the castle and she was invited...

Today, on Thankful Thursday, Maria Sue Chapman is in heaven dancing with her Heavenly Father. Please pray for the Chapman family as they grieve the loss of their precious child.

Today, on Thankful Thursday, I desperately want to go home, hug my babies and never let them go.

Life at the Womble6's...

While we were away our little people spent most of their days with Aunt A and their cousins. MG was there all four days. J was there two full days and two half days. They love playing together and I think they all had a great time. For those of you counting right now...YES, you counted them correctly. My sister-in-law cared for SIX kids this week. She volunteered to help Daddy in his quest for me to travel with him. Not only did she care for my babies, she emailed me photos so I could see what they were doing while we were in Las Vegas. I didn't get them until Thursday but they were a welcome sight. Two boys vs. five girls. Sorry boys. You both are completely outnumbered this week. I think you better get used to it. You are going to be outnumbered in our family for the rest of your little lives. :-)
This is our niece E (well, she's really a G but we call her E). She was loving on MG after she talked to me on the phone. I only talked to MG a few times because she cried when she heard my voice. Thank you for comforting her E. Aunt A later told me that my sweet MG would not take her shoes off...not even to sleep. That made me a little sad so thanks for not telling me that when I was gone.
We love you all...A, A, E, E, EG and J. Thank you for loving on two more kiddos this week. Aunt A--if there were medals for babysitting superheros I would gladly host a ceremony just for you. :-)

Vegas Baby...

It is the eve of 2008 trip #2 with the hubby and I'm pretty much feeling like this. I have never left my babies up until February and now three months later I'm leaving them again. I feel like such a bum. Maybe all of these little trips are a little test run for our two weeks in China...both the unbearable amount of time away from the children and the big taxi rides in the sky. Maybe?

Just in case I haven't made it clear I'll state this fact once more: I ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY HATE TO FLY! I would rather drive to Las Vegas in the car with two screaming kids in the middle of July with no air conditioning than get on that plane in the morning. Nevertheless, I will get on the plane and I will go...

because our children will be loved, protected and in capable hands, because my hubby wants me to go, because it is only 3.5 days, because I have a cute dress to wear for the Gala Dinner (black, of course), because while Daddy is "conferencing" I'm going to be lounging by the pool, because we get to do super cool stuff while we are there, because we will have a great time.

So, I KNOW what you are saying right now. Go, Mommy--Have a good time--the Womble 4 will be fine--now be quiet--pack your bags and hit the road. OK, I will do all of those things for you if you will do this for me (this thing called friendship is a two way street, ya know?). First, pray for all four of us this week while we are away. Pray we are all safe and healthy the entire time. Second, pray for Mr. Pilot men (because thankfully there are more than one of those dudes up there). Pray they put their game face on and realize they are taxiing two parents who need to go on this trip but more than anything want to arrive home safely on Friday (no turbulence, easy landing, at 1:35 sharp, without any plane delay). Could we put an emphasis on "SAFELY"? :-)

T minus five hours, 35 minuates and counting. Gotta go sleep a little before tomorrow arrives...

Hugs to all,
Mommy

Cubbie Bear Celebration...

Last fall, J began AWANA Cubbies at our church. AWANA is a wonderful program for children promoting scripture memorization and parent-child activities at home. Each week we worked on the memorization of a Bible verse. Each Wednesday night he went to Cubbies to learn about Jesus, receive credit for reciting his Bible verse to his teacher all while having a BLAST with his fellow Cubbie friends. J LOVED every second of Cubbies and put up a fuss each and every week when he had to leave. He recited ALL 30 verses for the year and received every patch he could have earned.

If you look on the screen you can see his class with their silly faces. J is on the back row behind the boy in the red tshirt. I think he has his hands on his face.
Receiving his award from his teachers: Mrs. Leanne, Mrs. Angie and Mrs. Cheri
At a loss for words (and a smile) with all of these people staring at him. J, at a loss for words? No, I'm not making that up.
J, we are so proud of you. There is nothing we would rather see woven into your heart than the love of Jesus. May you continue to seek Him in everything you do.

Our little graduate...

Our big boy celebrated his last day of preschool with the annual End of the Year Picnic. It was pretty cool outside so it was moved indoors (thankfully). Whisper the lamb and preschool director Ms. Sherri were there directing the children during their performance. Whisper is the chapel mascot and his job is to help the children learn how to behave in the God's house. J and his classmates gave a stellar performance of "If you're happy and you know it" followed by the parental tearjerker "Building a Better World" complete with vocals, instrumental music and sign language. There was not a dry Mommy eye in the house. Here he is making the world go "round and round" with that big ole J smile on his face.Next, Ms. Christy presented him with his graduation certificate and preschool notebook filled with stuff he had done from the entire year.Then the children blessed the food with the Lord's Prayer. Look at our little man standing tall with his head bowed, eyes closed and hands held in prayer. I didn't even know he KNEW the Lord's Prayer until today. Please, everyone take note of his friend to the left who was afraid she was going to miss something. Normally it's the other way around so I like to point it out when someone else's kid is not following the rules. It makes me feel like I'm not alone. :-)Here he is showing off his notebook...and with his teacher Ms. Christy...We are so proud of our little man. He has come so far and I know he has many many more days of celebration to come. It feels as if another chapter is complete and a new one is opening before us. I have mixed emotions about this transition but I still have a few months before I need to acknowledge it. In the meantime we are going to enjoy our last summer before Big Boy School and cherish every last second of it. We love you JTW and we are so proud of you.

Building a Better World
by Peter & Ellen Allard

We're building a better world
We're building a better world
We're building a better world
One person at a time.

Chorus:
And the world goes round and round,
the world goes round and round and round.
And the world goes round and round,
the world goes round and round and round.

We're building a world with love
We're building a world with love
We're building a world with love
One person at a time

Chorus

We're building a world with peace
We're building a world with peace
We're building a world with peace
One person at a time

Chorus

We're building a world with friends
We're building a world with friends
We're building a world with friends
One person at a time.

Chorus

We're building a better world
We're building a better world
We're building a better world
One person at a time.

Chorus

Heartbreak in China...

If you know me in real life, you already know that I have a love for little people. As a Mother of two and a pediatric nurse by profession, little people are my business. If you have known me longer than say, 4 days, you also know that I have a sincere passion in my heart for little people without families. By definition they are orphans but in my vocabulary they are precious little people who need Mommy's and Daddy's. I just don't like the word orphan. If you have known me longer than say, a week, you know that there is a piece of my heart that belongs to China. It is a culture I have never experienced first hand, yet, for some reason it holds such a strong sense of presence within my heart. I know why. She just isn't here yet. Today, that is my problem.

On Monday afternoon, Sichuan Province, China was hit with an earthquake reaching 7.8 on the Richter scale. It is now estimated that the death toll may reach 50,000 people, possibly more. With the recent cyclone in Myanmar and now the earthquake in China, it seems tragedy is everywhere. Yes, tragedy strikes here in our own backyard. I recognize that. However, we as a country have many more resources to deal with the problem at hand. I wish I knew why these things are happening but once again I am reminded there is only One who knows the answers to these kind of questions.

This morning I received an email update from Jenny Bowen who is the director of Half the Sky. I read it. I wept. I wept big ugly Charlie Brown tears. I had this startling moment of fear. Is our daughter there? Is she safe? My heart tells me she has already been born. If so, who is caring for her during this tragedy? Is she in a province far away from Sichuan? If so, what about all of the other children in the orphanages of Sichuan. When their world was literally rocked, who comforted them when they were afraid? They have nannies who are responsible for who knows how many children at one time. They do not have a Mommy to hold them close and tell them, "Mommy is here. Everything will be OK." It is in times of tragedy we draw close to our family and those we love. Have you ever stopped for one second and contemplated what it would be like for a child who didn't have that choice. To search for the face of someone who loves you with the unconditional love you deserve but that face never appears. That is what Monday must of been like for the children in the orphanages of Sichuan province. I can only take comfort in knowing that He was there comforting their hearts when their Mommy's were not.

My convictions are not your convictions. Your convictions are not mine. I know that. I wish I could make you all have the passion that I have for these children but I know that God gives each of us different callings. That is what makes the world go round. What I am asking you to do is please pray for these people. For the citizens of China (and Myanmar). For our world. For these children. Not only are they without a Mommy and Daddy to tuck them in tonight but some of them are without safe shelter and basic necessities essential to life.

And today, I am asking you for one very specific prayer...IF this feeling I have is accurate...if our daughter is already born...Please pray that He will protect her. Pray for her just as you would pray for J or MG if I asked you. Pray that He will wrap His loving arms around her until we can bring her safely home to our family where she belongs. No, I do not know her. I do not have an ultrasound photo or an ever growing tummy to show for this child. She grows in my heart. For me, that is enough to make her my daughter. For me, that is enough to make me her Mommy.

Not flesh of my flesh, Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart - but in it
--- Fleur Conkling Heylinger