God's Mercy~

We're home! This will be brief ...but we wanted to take a minute to explain what happened...and to convey the mercy of our Savior upon us! Scott was biking to work on our neighborhood roads yesterday. (it's 3 miles from door to door...pretty much all sidewalks.) He had flashing lights on his bike, reflectors, etc. He was hit from behind (he was going approx. 15mph) while the driver was traveling around 30 mph.(she was formally charged with careless driving). Upon impact, he was thrust into the minivan's windshield and roof, then thrown 60 ft. into the road/shoulder. He never lost consciousness.(thank you God!!) The driver called 911 and an ambulance was there in 4 minutes. They transported him to the ER...and thus began the evaluation process. He had abrasions filled with asphalt pretty much everywhere. They have to scrub (no pretty way to put it) with a brush and betadine. Horrific to watch and for him to endure. Mike E. and Todd T. got to be spectators of this part. They did great. I got sick. They did a CAT scan on his head and spine...and his head also had to be scrubbed and required 10 staples from front to back. The spine Cat scan came back normal (thank you GOD!!) There were NO broken bones anywhere (another miracle) and the first Cat scan of his brain showed a possible spot of bleeding on his forehead. They decided to admit him and do repeat scans to look for any possible brain issues. Needless to say...it's been a rough time...especially as Scott could hardly move. They removed him from a collar after being cleared of spine injury...and today the repeat CAT scan and cherry-on-top-MRI showed absolutely no brain injury! There were some pretty tense moments...and much difficulty watching someone who has a huge pain tolerence literally writhing and overcome with pain. This has been anything but easy. But we know all is the mercy of God upon us and deemed for our good. We felt your prayers and petitions! God spared Scott for a reason...all this could've very easily had a different outcome. We are very aware of that and of a Holy God who for whatever reason...spared us for his purposes. Here's a couple of pics. I will not post anything gross on here...if you want to see gross..email us privately or leave your email address as a comment. Soon I will share pics of the outpouring of care we received this last 2 days and bear witness to the church being lived out in people's lives...this time... us! What was a surreal experience...a bad dream..has turned into a testimony of the kindness, mercy, and power of an awesome God. He has spared Scott and we are eternally grateful. Thank you for your prayers! I will say this. Friend Don McGee happened on the accident scene shortly after the ambulance had taken Scott to the hospital. The bike was still on the side of the road. Don told us today that he was thinking that whoever had been on that bike hadn't made it..just by the condition of the bike. (we still haven't seen it)....Don had no idea it was Scott. I have no desire to see the bike. Scott wants to go get it tomorrow. On that note...Scott's doing great. Absolutely great. He knows from a medical standpoint all that could've happened and didn't. We give all credit and glory to the most High God who rules and reigns over the earth! The pics are kind of backwards. The top pics are of Don and Cindi telling their side of the story after greeting Scott when we came home today. Then you see Scott with Katie for the first time. Also a tearful coming home with Julie. They both broke down. Realize this morning Scott couldn't even stand up. This evening he's sore...but what a difference huh?? You'll see the crash site...even with a remaining latex glove(!) and some hospital pics right before we came home.

*Warning....Not For the Squeamish Post* We've Had An Accident....

For those of you that don't already know....our daddy was involved in an accident today. He was hit by a car while riding his bike to work....and thrown up over the car and back onto the pavement...60 ft. later. We're in the hospital now. The good news is...no broken bones (a miracle!!) and several abrasions that had to be cleaned (pretty sad) and 10 staples in his head. The initial CT scans show no spine trauma, and/or head trauma. He does have a concussion and is in alot of pain...the CT scan will be repeated in the am and hopefully will show normal activity. Our church has been amazing in the outpouring of love and prayers today. Thank you! Scott is currently sleeping...and is in wonderful spirits. We serve an amazing God who has protected Scott in ways we may never see! Thank you all for serving us so well! May our Lord and Savior be glorified in all He calls us to endure! We'll keep you updated.....and yes...the driver of the car was charged w/careless driving. Duh.

Miss Leni has been feeling a little under the weather since last Thursday. Today she's still running a temp. so not too much to report from this camp. No exciting stories...no cute weekend pics...so this is a great time to talk about one of my favorite blogs I check almost daily. Pam is a 50-something adoptive parent from the USA who along with her husband moved to Henan, China in 2003. She teaches English to nursing students...and with permission from the Chinese Gov't, runs a foster home for SN orphans from surrounding SWI's in her area. She actually lives on the 5th floor of an apartment building...and appropriately named their abode "The Swallow's Nest". Pam typically takes in pretty significant special needs children who have found their way to an orphanage and facilitates through her connections with local hospitals as well as those in Beijing and Shanghai, for corrective surgeries for these helpless, dependent little ones. After surgeries, they come back to her ...only for her to advocate further with the CCAA to get them paper ready and placed on WC lists for international adoption. Her Chinese nursing students help with the daily care of these children. Pam regularly blogs stories of children...sometimes they end happy...sometimes not. She's an amazing woman of strength, courage and willing to live 'out of the box' for something she holds dear. And, yes, she's a believer. Check out her blog here and see if you're not hooked like me. Now, for some awesome photos of their amazing work, go to this linkand view the casting of club feet of a little 5 lb. girl recently brought to Swallow's Nest. Click on view pics and then slideshow for the best results. Don't you want to go and get this little girl?? I do!!

Yea Daddy!

Had to put a little blurb in here for our daddy. Last Saturday his team led by Tim Griffith climbed the ladder to victory in the Men's Basketball League at our church. In our sanctuary the floor rolls back to reveal a hardwood basketball court underneath! Anyway, our daddy did us proud as part of the champion team in the over-35 league. You can see pics on friend Tammy's blog here. Our daddy is #10! Thanks Tammy for the pics!

Something New And Different for Our Little Princess Group!

What may not seem to exciting to the rest of America was one of the mostest, bestest, couple of hours these females have had this week by gosh!! Our school had their annual Art Fair.... where a giant room filled with over 100 people (mostly children) gathered to create amazing feats of art that would make Picasso swoon!! Tables were poised and ready for kids of all ages to create 'stain-glass' frames, twirly-birds (glitterized no less!), book-marks, stamp-art, tambourines, spin-art, 'ice-cream' cones, and last but not least...tattoos. One of the funnest times was painting on giant sheets of paper to classical music. Mommy was thrilled when the princesses recognized some of the songs from 'The Mozart Effect' which we use at home. Leni's fav was the spin-art....Kristin's was the book-marking stickers, and Katie...well, check her out shaking the glitter jar! Don't forget to check out 'Taitee-Mei's yad-ee buuuggg at-too'!

And...As Any Smart Criminal Knows...

If you're going to deface property....it's best not to sign your name...lest the property owners come and find you :) This is by our front door. Alexis is our neighbor, the girls kindred spirit, and apparent partner in crime... and ...well...the other one is ours :) and we know where she lives!! (Hee...Hee)

Much to the P.C.'s Delight~

Princess Collection that is. We went to our fav park to run the troops yesterday and this was in the trash can by our table. The girls were enthralled. Leni named him Furry. Park man came. Got opossum. Let him/her go. We told girls and Cade he had to go find his mama. That is after opossum hissed. It was drama. The girls are still talking about it and worried about poor hissing creature. I know you're thinking it must've been a slow news day :)but the main purpose of this blog is to be a living, digital scrapbook of the little girls lives. This is part of it:) Now....saved forever:)...We're off now...in search of the next great adventure. Hopefully w/o hissing.

Thoughtful Tuesday~

DIL Mel captured this photo of me and the little girls at Cade's birthday. I love it because....many nights I lie in bed and wrestle with myself on these issues.... With multiple children in pretty much every season of life (married all the way down to a toddler!) ...it's a constant juggling act to accomplish even #1 on the daily list as well as giving each person the attention they need. At night I lie there and think "Ok, I know I did things FOR them today, but did I do things WITH them? I want to capture their hearts early on and mold them in the ways of the Lord...but the actual process is easier said than done, right? I'm very task oriented, and love crossing that job off a list...but currently, this mommy is working on the WITH THEM moments that connect, envision, captivate, nurture, and bond their hearts with their parents. In busy days, it's easy to lose sight of the goal. So we press on....and make the time to take the time to read, play, listen and encourage each little one individually as well as promote sisterhood (ya-ya) between the three little ones. This photo of a quiet moment with our 3 adopted princesses served me well.

Katie-isms~

I'm going to make an attempt to answer questions I get alot, by incorporating them into various posts. Today, we shall focus on Miss Katie-Mei. She will officially be 3 in June and we're planning a rip-roaring birthday with some of her previous room-mates :) from the Taihe, SWI. We can't wait!! Right now...Katie stretching t-a-l-l stands 34 3/4 inches and weighs in at 27 lbs.This is about the 5-6% for American kids and only about the 25th for Chinese Girls. This is the same poundage that Leni weighed in at her first birthday!! and more than Jason weighed at age 3! She also wears a size 7 N shoe and size 2t clothes. Sometimes she wears 3t shirts, but no way in shorts/pants. Getting shoes for this one is hard because her foot is incredibly narrow. Good thing we live in the land of "flip-bops" (her term for flip-flops)! She's incredibly coordinated and can wicked fast in her fav glitterfied flip-bops. Her loves are her blankies, her mommy, shoes...especially sparkly ones (Lately I've been referring to her as Imelda Marcos VanLue), and 'choc-mil' (chocolate milk)AND heaven forbid we forget the ultimate toddler fashion ...her 'babyshoo' (bathing suit!). Are we potty trained?? A clear NOPEY,NO,NO,NOT!...because this child has a serious love affair with princess pull-ups, and because she is such a creature of habit...just thinks they are a part of her. We'll tackle this area later in the summer. So far it's NOWAY to princess panties...YEA to princess pull-ups. Go figure. She HATES (with a capital H) having her hair combed...and begs for 'hair-up'! We're letting it grow out because it's drop-dead gorgeous and easy to 'do'. The first thing she does in the morning....is SHOUT 'KATIEUPMOMCHOCMIL!' Did you get that? Then asks for 'Toooojeeeerron' (Tom and Jerry on). All 3 are addicted to the old 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons since I found this nifty little free on-demand channel with no commercials and loads of Tom and Jerry. I caved. Most 2 year olds participate in parallel play...which we've observed all this year...but now she's increasingly becoming more social with pretend play with her peers and sisters.She rides a tricycle like a champ and loves the battery-operated Barbie-car. Her fine motor/gross motor is extraordinary for her age!! Another favorite activity is 'namping' (stamping) as she will sit for up to an hour listening to music ...even Mozart!! and doing her stamp-kit!! Sometimes the ya-ya sisterhood can get a little ugly :)(as it is as I'm typing this....I hear LOUD screeching and arguing from 2 of the princesses...and uproarious laughter from the 3rd....sigh! Don't you dare mess with 'Taitee-Mey-loo's namp dit (Katie-Mei Lue's stamp kit)) but there are windows of sweet interactions that would make even Grumpy smile. To Katie, Kristin is 'Yin-Yin' and Leni is 'LEEEEEEENEEEE'. The greatest competition is between Kristin and Katie (big suprise...HA!) but again...the sun seems to be rising in this area!! :) We joke and say that Katie would have been the perfect only child because well...she can be a little demanding and ok... A LOT demanding.(snort, snort...I hear you people laughing!!) Very, very set in her ways and everything has to be the same...or perfect... for it to be acceptable. She has gone to preschool 2 half days this year...and we have laughed because as much as she talks at home...once she gets to school, she refuses to talk. The teachers remark about it frequently. We just laugh....and say. Yep...a control freak. That's our girl. At home she is without question winning the current LOUD award. Face it...she's at the bottom of the food-chain here...and frankly LOUD is how you make yourself known!:) I think most of the questions we get come from perfect strangers....but always the same questions. Katie definitely attracts the attention....especially when we have Cade too.He and Katie are about the same size. You can tell when people are watching you and counting. 1....2....3...4...and older ones...who is who?? You can see the wheels spinning in their heads!! Then the brave ones ask....usually tentatively but dying to know..."Are they all yours??" Sometimes I give an explaination...varying in degree of info according to the situation and my read of the person asking....and sometimes we just skeedaddle out of there because..well, duty calls! I get a quiet satisfaction at leaving people scratching their heads. Call it my mean streak if you want.:) I actually had a distant neighbor ask one day....as all were wallering, running, hopping, yelling in the front yard with the neighbor kids...." Do you work.. or are you a lady-of-leisure?" At first I thought she was kidding...but no...she wasn't. As much as my mouth was hanging wide open for the flies....Heh.Heh...I quickly realized this woman was middle-aged....unmarried with no children. How could she possibly know what a SAH mommy's days were like?? So I shut my trap...and gave some sort of polite, polished answer...but have not stopped thinking that this lady needs some serious time with kids...and their laundry. Can you say clueless?? Ok...back to Katie. We think she's going to be a lawyer...she likes to argue....or a musician...she absolutely loves music and we still have to sing "Frosty the Hoe-man" everynight before bed. She swims like a fishy, and will conquer the most daring roller-coaster available. She is also a serious lover of Ba-day (ballet) still...and as this mommy has dragged her feet at enrolling little princesses in too many activities...Me thinks ba-day is in the near future for this little one. That is if she can separate from the Mommy long enough to attend class. And her blankie.:) Mommy's little peanut was hand-picked by God just for us! And for Kristin's sanctification....and ours as we participate in Kristin's. We think our Katie's marvelous!!.....and as a rousing finale to this long-winded post. The most frequently asked question we get is......(drumroll)...."Do you ever get any sleep?" To which we answer. Not really. A standing joke at our house is "someone here is always up--24 hrs of the live-long day." We'll sleep in heaven. Life's too short. Much to be done here on this earth!! Right now it involves cute little girls!....and more:)for the glory of God!!

And....Cade Turns 2!!

Last weekend we celebrated the birthday of Cade William! For 2 months of the year...he and his aunt Katie are the same age! Mel and Jay did a great job of hosting both families and friends at a local park. Our daddy entertained by being the 'science' guy and catching a park duck and snapping turtle. Guess he can always hire himself out as a side job :)No alligators please!! (yes, the girls are in their soccer uniforms because they had a game earlier. Funny story...one of the boys on Leni and K's team was telling his mom that his 'team' didn't take this game seriously. '...all they do is sit on the field and pick flowers!'. Hmmmmmmm....any idea WHICH TEAM MEMBERS :) he was talking about?????? Take a big fat guess!! Insert snorts and giggles here!)

Adoption Is Greater Than The Universe - John Piper

Found this today... and PLEASE take a minute to watch. This man is one of my earthly heroes...and I am constantly engrossed in one of his books! Just listen to what he says about one of the subjects we are so passionate about in this household!! Amen...and Amen!! Also....don't forget to scroll down if you missed the last post!!

Solve This Puzzle~

Busy weekend! Cade's birthday (pics coming...have to download from Daddy's camera) and Scott's brother/sister in law came in from Calif. In the top pic you will see from left to right...Niels (2), Leni (6), Katie (2), Kristin (5), Cade (2). Now look at the bottom pic. Here's the brain teaser. Steve is Scott's brother. Niels is Steve's son. Two of these children are first cousins, two are second cousins, and two are aunt and nephew. Two were not born in the USA...but they are all TWO. Who is who?? Chocolate to the one who likes family geneology and figures out how this all works together!!

Two for Two!!

Meet our two...two-year olds!(Cade's birthday is tomorrow!!) They are pretty funny these days...Here in the top pics they're showing (and telling) you that their lives pretty much revolve around their loyal objects of choice...1. their respective mommy (MYYYYY MOOOOMMMMMMMYYYY! NOOOOO!! MMMMYYYYYYMMOOOMMMMMYYYYY!!) 2. their blankies (Katie prefers 2 of the pink variety...Cade picks fuzz off his one and 3. their ever-present sippy cups...then the second set of pics are these two, who even though are 10 months apart (Katie being the oldest) are very much the same size lately. They're at the park with multitudes of things to play on...but prefered to push their own strollers and engage in a LOUD and LIVELY conversation about who's stroller was whose. MMMYYYYYSTTTTRRROOOOOWWWWEEERRR!! NO!!!MIIIIIINNNNNFEEEEE!!!! They were told to hug and quit arguing.. so they rolled around on the ground for a few moments until they got tired of that too:) They're very cute and make us laugh constantly!! So....for this mother...I am both mommy and Mimi in the same conversation. Say Mommy-Mimi three times fast. These poor children are going to be so confused!!

Sometimes I Wonder...

What the neighbors must think as our little girl parade goes marching down the street....and over the bridge to grandma's house many an afternoon?! On this particular one....we have a croc-wearing, diaper-clad, soy-version of 'hoe-white' pushing her bitty-baby as only 'hoe-white' can....a silver-bedazzled-tutu-wearing-flowered-flip-flop shoed effervescent blonde with chalk-circled cheeks (supposed to resemble some sort of make-up), pushing another stroller full of Disney Princess/Barbie junkohImeanstuff... and a normally (!) dressed 6yr. old who only wants to climb to the tippy-top of the orange tree and pelt onlookers with rotten oranges. Whew! Those that pass are sure to be confused! But...we don't care! Our parade entertains, sings, throws, does indian tom-tom dance on newly cut tree...then as the sun sets over the horizon...they move to throwing shells and mussels into our wonderful lake while shouting-I-mean-singing to the ducks and turtles. What more could we ask for? Built in entertainment and little girls free to be children with abundant imaginations! Come on over!

Fried Peanuts~

Yes...my little peanuts were a little fried (accidentally)after our days at friend's Tammi and Scott's beach condo. We were able to visit 2x over spring break....and all 3 princesses are ready to be fully vested 'beach babes' for life. They had a blast as you can see....and this mommy would like to live there forever. What a difference a year makes!! Because this time last year, it was a little stressful taking all 3 into the beach situation. This year they are magnificent!! Now, if we could do something about the sharks....the day we were there someone was bit. Yuck. That could really ruin your day, huh!!:) Thanks Tammi and Scott!! And...yea...we'll be back soon! Really really soon!! Ahhhhhhhhh...gotta love the Florida life in the spring!!

Check Back Soon....

The weather here in sunny (HA!) Florida is messing with the internet connection...esp. downloading pics. We have cute ones....but technology isn't cooperating. Check back soon!!

And...We Have Some Random Shots To See!

Well...here are a few pics of our comings and goings lately. Yes, it's Spring Break...but no break for the mommies!! Our job is to get the 2-2year olds, 5 and 6 year olds tired!! And it takes action, action, action....and then some more action. Eloise has been delightful. No major stories here. I know...I know...the minute I say that she'll do something. I'm not holding my breath. This mommy knows something is just around the corner :) Leni fell out of daddy's truck and got a slight concussion. Ouch. No, it wasn't moving...the truck. I mean the truck. It was sitting...very still and off... in the driveway. They (mostly the blond-a-do...that rhymes with tornado), flip the tailgate down and do shows..the singing type...for whoever will listen and watch. Evidently Leni went a-tumblin' off the stage.:( And Katie's just LOUD. She's SHRIEKING LOUD. Ask anyone here and they'll verify that. And what's funny....is that her teachers say she never, ever says a word at school. Did you hear me say SHRIEKING LOUD??!! Very cute though... Well...she usually can't get a word in edgewise I guess...but we're working on the SHRIEKING LOUD part. All in all...no major bumps from this camp. Well, except for Leni. :) She's fine. Back to her usual 'I-love-animals-can-we-have-a-ring-tailed-lemur?HUUHHUH??' self. She's now addicted to "Bindi-The Jungle Girl" on TLC. Yes, that's a realy show starring Steve Irwin's daughter. We so very love it. Until next time.....

And...the results are in!!

Sooooooooo......how'd they do at soccer....considering they haven't ever, ever done anything remotely like this before?? And their parents haven't educated them in the finer art of what a soccer ball even looks like?? Yea...we're losers in that sense. But really, how'd they do??.... Magnificent mostly. Yea...those are good words. Mostly magnificent with everly a melty moment here and there. The BIG, BIG, BIG ...did I say BIG???!!shocker suprise was Miss Eloise herself... who got in there...listened (!) , followed directions and ran, and ran, and ran, and ran....then came home and ran, and ran, and ran, and ran some more down to Mom Jo's house and back.. She AMAZED us! Needless to say...we were stunned. We totally expected the opposite. The daddy had a great time analyzing her gait, and muscle movements, and muscle type...yada, yada, yada. He definitely took the scientific approach. (He's boarded in Sports Med.).... so Leni liked it until she got hit with a ball in the nose...and the running got a little rough as the temps soared into the mid-80's. When she got hot...she was done. Her exact words were...."IGIVEUPPPPPPPPPWAHHHH!" So what'd we do?? We dangled the yes-a-parent-can-do-this-carrot..."Leeeeeeennnnniiiii...your team has snacks for you after the game if you keep on.......if you stop....no snacky......ok, Lennnnnniiiiii??? MMMMM it looks good....don't give up now!! Don't quit!!! Almost time for SNNNNAAAAACCCCCKKKKKSSS!!!!" It worked. She wants to go back next week to see what the snacks are.:)Uh.....and she needs a helmet. And a mouth guard. And a nose guard. Maybe armor??!! Katie had fun too. None of the girls will wear shin guards yet. They'll figure it out....maybe the hard way. Anyway...a good time. Thanks Vickie and Mike for organizing all of it!!

Coming preview.......we've been busy. Look for Spring Break fun soon!!