Happy Mei-Mei-a-versary...

As of today, Mei Mei has six months under her belt as Womble #5. Six months ago at this very moment many of you were watching this miraculous day unfold in front of your computer screens. I'm sure you were wondering what was going on half a world away. I can barely watch the slideshow without welling up. What a bittersweet day...
The day we met the daughter of our hearts. The one we waited years to meet. The same day her little heart shattered into a million pieces. I will never, in all my days, forget that day. Ever.

It has been a whirlwind since we arrived home from China. Our days have been viewed through the lens of "before China" and "after China". You can't experience a journey like China and not be completely changed by what your eyes have seen. What your heart has felt. I don't think it is possible. We are blessed--our entire free nation as a whole--and we don't even know it. We THINK we know it. We do not.

Over the course of six months, Mei Mei has experienced many firsts. Her first Halloween (as a ladybug of course)...
She has been properly (and beautifully) welcomed home by friends and family...
She has celebrated the birth of Jesus--the first of many years to come...
She has learned what the white stuff is all about...She has celebrated the Lunar New Year as an American citizen (with her pseudo-Chinese family--that's us in case you are wondering)...
and she is slowly but surely realizing that THIS family is forever...
I marvel at how far she has come since the day she was placed in her Daddy's arms. We are both honored and humbled to watch this little one unfold before our eyes. If I am perfectly honest, I know we have a long way to go but I continue to believe she will get there--that we will get there. "Now faith is being sure of what we HOPE for and certain of what we do not see". That is the verse that I chose for her long before I knew her face. It is still just as applicable today as it was then.

Happy Mei-Mei-a-versary sweet one! You have opened our eyes and our hearts to more than you could ever imagine. We love you all the way to China and back a million times.

Temporary Home...

I must have been living under a rock the past few months because I just heard this song. Oh. My. Word. Completely speechless.

Every single verse is beautiful and pertinent to where I seem to be these days. The first verse...a six year old boy in foster care...ummm--that's another story for another day. The second verse...a single Mom and her daughter reminding me of my Mom. The last verse...a sick elderly man reminding me of my Papa. He is still very sick these days and could really use your prayers. Now please excuse me while I find the nearest Kleenex box. They should put warnings on these types of songs. **WARNING: Listen at your own risk**

For Sale...

Almost four years ago I custom ordered this bedding for Little Miss' nursery. I was in LOVE with it. Actually, I still am. Outside a God sized miracle, there will be no more newborn Womble babies in this house. {Sigh...............let's pause for a moment of silence......................OK, moving on.}
I would LOVE nothing more than to keep it forever and ever amen but the Chief reminds me I can't keep EVERYTHING. I think secretly he's afraid we're going to be featured on an episode of Hoarders some day. ;-) With that being said, I hope to see it grace the room of another little girly girl in the near future...
The main fabric is Over the Moon (sage) by Covington Fabrics. I do not remember the specifics of the other three fabrics but they match the main fabric perfectly.One stripe, one floral and one chenille...
These images were taken right before the designer shipped it to me. It is still in EXCELLENT like new condition.
There is also a window valance made by yours truly...
and a skirt I made for the front of a desk we used as her changing table. You could use this fabric to make pillows, etc.I am planning to consign it but wanted to offer it to my bloggy peeps first. If anyone is interesting in purchasing this beautiful nursery bedding please email me here.

The perfect mudroom when you don't have a mudroom...

I have delusional dreams of a white beadboard mudroom with cubbies, baskets and lots and lots of coat hooks. Since the Chief says we're NEVER MOVING AGAIN I'll have to put that dream in a bubble. This house doesn't have a real mudroom but when we built it I had grand plans for a pseudo-mudroom. Long story short that didn't work out. Anyway. There is a wall in my back hallway that was screaming for something like this. I loved the bench and shelf from PB but the price tag is RIDICULOUS! Thankfully my pal Cindy turned me on to this one from JC Penney. I ordered it in December and it FINALLY came last week. WE LOVE IT! I ordered it in red (which is more of a dark red rather than a primary red). Anyway, it is well built, looks great and you can't beat $199 for a bench, wall shelf, bench cushions and six baskets. I'm not crazy about the cushions but those are easily changed. If you are on the hunt for something like this look no further.

Project Chosen

5 months ago at this moment we were on a plane en route to Newark, NJ. Three weary Wombles were counting the miles until we touched down on US soil. The time has flown by and some days I still can't believe Mei Mei is really here. Today her story is featured on Project Chosen. Click the above link to read her story along with many other families who have experienced the miracle of adoption.

Hmmmm...

Anyone care to wager a guess? The who? The what? The where? The how?

Threads of Faithfulness...

Every day throughout the month of February Jeanette at Threads of Faithfulness is featuring the story of one family blessed by adoption. It has been so encouraging to read their stories and visibly see the miracles that have unfolded within these families. On February 24, five months to the day we arrived home and became a family of 5, the story of our journey to Mei Mei will be featured. Please take this opportunity to read the stories of these beautiful children and the families who love them. I know you will be blessed.

Channeling her inner Mrs. Courtney...

Apparently SOMEONE stole my camera...I discovered this little rendezvous last night...
when I uploaded our pictures from snow day...In the interest of anonymity the culprit shall remain nameless...
but I'm happy to tell you it was a SHE...
and considering WHO was the subject on the opposite side of the camera lens...
and knowing the culprit was a SHE...
I bet you can figure it out...
Obviously she had a very willing model...
who was quite happy to pose...
and ham it up in front of the camera...
I think we have a budding photographer on our hands...
but I also think Mrs. Courtney needs to teach her a thing or two...about spinning the dial off the green box...
Mrs. Courtney (our resident photographer)...I think we're going to need a little assistance over here. Do you teach photography to preschoolers?

So Long January...

I have a confession. My name is Mommy and I think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. Seriously. I think I do. It happens to me every year. I LOVE October, November and December. They are my most favorite months of the entire year and pass way too quickly for my liking. Once they are over--WHAM--it hits me! The Christmas decorations are packed away, the calendar turns to a new year and I fall into this icky winter funk. I get bogged down with all the things I want to do in the new year (and then I get overwhelmed because I put too many things on that stupid list). Then I start dreaming of spring time and daffodils and swim day and summer vacations. And I avoid things I love (like friends and blogging) and a few things I don't love (AKA laundry) until...

February shows up...Ahhhh...February. With the flip of the calendar I can feel my mood change.

February--
the shortest month of the year.
the month of LOVE.
the month where your hubby tries to find a new way to say I love you.
the month where my kiddos gift Snicker minis because they know they are my fav-o-rite (and I would never dream of disappointing them by refusing their generosity for the sake of calories)
the month where our family will celebrate a new family holiday...Chinese New Year!
the month where we start planning someone very specials SECOND BIRTHDAY PARTY!

Ahhhh...February. Maybe your not so bad after all. Maybe the marketing centerpiece of this month IS just a Hallmark holiday but it serves as my gentle reminder that I have a lot of people to love. Snap out of it sister. So long January! Go away S.A.D.! You are no longer wanted here.

Let it Snow (n-snow-n-ice-n-snow)...

and snow and ice it did! The sky opened up and poured for over 24 hours (which is a rarity in our neck of the woods). On Friday, there wasn't a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread within 100 miles but there were children everywhere bursting with excitement... "Can we go out yet? Can we go out yet?" was heard about 673 times before they were able to hit the door. By Saturday afternoon our neighborhood totaled about 4 inches of snow... topped with another 3-4 inches of ice... and a little more snow to grow on... Of course that didn't stop Wild Man and Little Miss from doing the "more snow" dance...while MeiMei watched from the toasty comfort of the dining room window. I'm sure she was wondering WHY they would want MORE of the freezing cold white stuff. I'm pretty sure she's never seen anything like it. They have palm trees in southern China--not snow. She would have been fine to stay inside the whole weekend but there was no way this Momma could let the first BIG snow pass her by.

At first she didn't know what to think...but it didn't take long before she was rarin' to go... Little Miss (who just HAD to wear a dress--even to play in the snow) had to teach her baby sister a thing or two about snow days...and MeiMei caught on pretty quickly. Monkey See...
Monkey Do...
Ahhhhh...
I'll let you decide what she thought of it...
The final attempt at a snowman was...ummmm...shall we say...non productive? They learned first hand why it's called a SNOWman (and not an ICEman)but they had a great time trying. Obviously this is not the best group photo but it makes me laugh nonetheless. To think I bribed them with hot cocoa just to catch the three of them in the same frame.
And even though my foyer floor is PILED with three layers of clothing x 5, I would still welcome a few more snows just like this one in 2010. There is nothing like the joy it brings to the faces of my three little Eskimos.

Kupcakes for Kids...

On Sunday, January 24, our Pastor taught from Matthew 25:14-30 about the Parable of the Talents, and then introduced a "Modern Day Tale of the Talents". During each service that day, he gave one of our young ministers a $50 bill, and charged them with investing that money... God's money... in a way that advances the cause of Christ.

Mr. Eddie was Wild Man's Assistant Children's Minister not too long ago. Wild Man thinks he's about the best thing since chicken nuggets (and if you know him you know how much that is). Mr. Eddie chose to use his $50 to purchase the ingredients for cupcakes. Cupcakes? Yep, cupcakes. He sold them for a minimum donation of $10 each. His goal? To raise $500 to buy shoes and socks for the children of a local public housing preschool.
When I told Wild Man we were going to buy special cupcakes after school today and WHY we were going to buy them, the first words from his mouth were "Can I help too?". He said he wanted to use his money to help buy shoes and socks for the kids just like everyone else. After school he dug out the money he'd been saving for Chuck*e*Cheese and bought 2 "Kupcakes for Kids" instead. One cupcake for each of his sisters. He didn't even buy one for himself having no idea I was going to buy one for him either way.

I was SO PROUD of him I could have burst. As a parent, some days we all wonder if we are getting through to them. If they can even grasp the blessings they have been given in this "me-me-me" society in which we live. Today I am thankful for a tiny peek into the window of his heart. There's some good stuff in there, even at 7 years old, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for him.

Wordless Wednesday...

The Dedication of MeiMei...

For those unfamiliar with a Parent-Child Dedication, it is a ceremony in which we promise to parent our daughter in a Godly home, teach her about the love of Christ and do everything within our power to raise her according to His word. Tonight, exactly four months after we arrived home with her in our arms, the Chief and I pledged all of these things before God, our family and our church family. There is no doubt this beautiful and precious child is a gift straight from His hand. She belongs to Him and we are thankful He chose us to be her parents. From March 27, 2009 forward, her story was, is and will continue to be my living example of "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine". For years I prayed the same simple prayer over the little one who would some day join our family. Ten months ago He answered my simple prayer in ways I never imagined.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you
with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

-Ephesians 3:16-21