After standing in line 1 1/2 hours!! these little ladies finally got to see Santa the day before Christmas. Of course it took some bribery to get Katie Mei close to him....but once she did she told him "IWANTANARIELBARBIE!" Poor Santa didn't know what to think much less what she said. Good old Santa got a little merry though when Mom Jo sat on his lap and kissed him on the cheek. He asked her to go dancing!! Not sure what Mrs. Claus would have thought about that.....

New VanLue Flip Video Camera

New video camera for Christmas...the princesses have tested it out and want your feedback!

Merry Christmas From Our House To Yours!

Should we tell you that this Christmas season Leni (age 8) poured Listerine in the iron to make the clothes smell better? And how about Kristin (age 6) who in protest slept in her coat during our recent cold spell here in Central Florida? Or Katie (age 4) who is still only 33 lbs. and only 36.75 inches tall at 4 1/2 years old? Or the fact that she pulled the stocking holder down from the mantle on her head and the result was a gashed, bloody head that I didn't notice was hurt until we pulled up to her preschool and I turned around to see blood dripping down her head. She is one tough kiddo. Instead, we'll tell about our Savior who was born this season in order that we all may be saved!! Thanks to Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer and Friend who called us out of darkness into His Marvelous Light! May you have a glorious and wonderful Christmas!

Technical Difficulties

We are experiencing tech issues....first it's the internet company...and now it's IPhoto AGAIN!!!!! UGGGGHHHH! I have great photos and can't upload them.

It's taking the Merry out of my Christmas....but I have a feeling it will return soon:)

Happy Birthday Jay!

Our firstborn and only son turned 25 over the weekend. Jason's awesome wife Mel suprised him with a weekend away which meant one more around our house. The Cadertot came to visit and I don't think the action ever stopped. He is 3 1/2 now and not only can recognize but name every make/type of car on the road. Put that with 3 other girls all spitting out words with machinegun rapid-fire speed, and you have a crazy fun weekend. We took them to the Science Center for kicks.....and did lots of bike/scootering around the neighborhood. Katie and Cade are the best of buddies these days....and begged to sleep together. What could I say??

This Pretty Much Sums It Up.......

Life is grand when you choose to make it so!

Thank You!

It's been a week and a half since Leni had her tonsils/adenoids out. I must say after the first two days I thought it would be a piece of cake. Was I ever wrong!! She is still running a low grade fever and on pain meds....the worst has been the sharp ear pains that effect her at random times. This is very common on days 4-8 (who knew??) and the nightmares that come with the territory. I was prepared for a sore throat....and that has been the minimal problem. HOWEVER....yesterday was a huge turning point and today Miss Leni is up playing with her nephew. In a rare and unprecedented turn of events.....Leni and Cade are the only ones home at the moment. Katie is at school, and Kristi-Loo is at Mom Jo's house. I picked up Cade W. because Mel isn't feeling good today and when we returned....a box was on the doorstep. Sweet Mirielle from Carolina had sent Leni a get well present which see for yourself how the monkeys liked it. It sings and dances....just what the doctor ordered!! Thank you Miri!! Hope to see you soon!! ( Isn't it great to see Leni smiling??!!)

What's the Matter??!!

Are you dumb? Don't you know Rudolph is from Central China? Everybody knows that! (and no, you're not stupid...I just found out myself!!)

I Heart Referral Day!

Man, oh man do I love referral day!! What is referral day? It's when you finally are matched with your child from China (or another country) and you receive his/her information and most importantly their picture! I remember ours so very well as we saw Katie Mei for the first time! Well, Wednesday of this week was referral day for those waiting from March 2006. Yes, we've been back 3 1/2 years and we were logged in on May 17, 2005. That means they haven't even referred a calendar year of babies since we've come back from China. People that received their referral this week have been waiting.....4 years!! So exciting and worth the wait when you finally see who and where your child is for the first time. This means yet another group of children will be on their way to their forever families and will not live out their days in an orphanage. Here's the linkif you want to ohh and ahh over the newest set of babies headed to meet their new parents!

Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back....

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3" This is the verse that begins a new book I am reading. Yesterday it was an excellent verse to meditate upon because as the title of this post suggests...we went backwards a little bit. Leni woke yesterday (post op day 2) with excruciating migraine-like headaches. It tore this mommy up. Because of her sensory issues, Leni doesn't feel pain like the rest of us. She has the highest pain tolerance of anyone I have ever met other than my husband. Anyway, when this kid says she hurts you listen. No drama from this girl. Yesterday got pretty sad as I struggled to help her in anyway I could. We switched her meds around a little bit and she was able to get some relief. In the midst of it all I found her Build-a-bear ready and waiting for surgery in her chair....and found this pic (which I tried to rotate and it keeps posting sideways!!!!GRRRRRR!!!!) that Leni made during a moment of reprieve. This is the sweetest child. I hate to see her hurt.

Happy to say...today is much better. Today is earache day which they said to expect. She's tolerating that very well. Thanks for praying and hopefully we're on the upswing!!

One Day Later...

I have to repeat myself...this child is nothing short of amazing. In the last month we've gotten glasses for the first time, had general anesthesia twice, been poked and prodded by 5 different specialists, had not one but two sleep studies, had multiple oxygen levels tested, was diagnosed with Narcolepsy and obstructive apnea, and yesterday had our tonsils/adenoids removed. Yesterday they guaranteed us she would throw up. She hasn't. They guaranteed us there would be blood loss. We've had none. They guaranteed us she would run a fever up to 102. Ours is 99 and holding. Here she is 24 hours after surgery going for a ride in her chariot! Grandma brought over a new butterfly habitat and net yesterday and we've already been on the hunt this morning:) She woke up this morning asking for pain medicine and her sisters. How cute is that?? The pain meds were administered right away.....the sisters will be back within the hour:) Thank you Lord for answers to prayers!!

Surgery Day!

Do you want to meet the most resilient child on the planet?? She lives in our house! Today we had our tonsils and adenoids out. This kid is such a trooper!! It's late in the day and other than coming out of the anesthesia (nothing but yuck to say about that!!) she hasn't cried once. She's a silent sufferer which is a good and a bad thing. Good because you never have to deal with too much "drama", and not so good because you keep checking her to make sure she's ok. We had this surgery because she's had a blockage in her sinuses that is causing her discomfort/and enhances her breathing issues we deal with on an ongoing basis. Hopefully as soon as she heals this will alleviate much of the problem. Here is our Princess headed into the OR this morning before the sunrise:)

We thank you for your prayers as we continue to "peel the layers" from the mysteries surrounding this child:) and we give all the glory to our heavenly Father for caring for his children!!

Oh...and a giant thank you to my DIL Mel. The only reason this post got done is because Leni is currently under the effects of meds:) and the other two are at Mel's house spending the night. I had forgotten what silence was like.

Our Newest Project

We had a marvelous Thanksgiving and trust everyone reading did too! Grandma brought the P.C. a new project to occupy the Science side of things for a while. These necklaces actually hold a Painted Lady caterpillar....all the food necessary until they spin a chrysalis and even have a magnifying glass on top. Our trusty caterpillars survived being carted, poked, and shaken and are currently hibernating in their cocoons. In another week or so we will have beautiful butterflies to introduce to their new habitat.

Thanks Grandma for the awesome contribution to the Princess Home school!!

Leni has surgery tomorrow VERY EARLY in the morning to remove her tonsils and adenoids. Hopefully this will correct her apnea and improve her ability to breathe:) If you think of us, please pray for safety during surgery and a speedy recovery for this sweet girl!!

This is what I look like as Thanksgiving Prep is officially underway!! Wish I had this many hands!!

A Love Hate Thing....and a Little Trip

I am experiencing a love, hate thing with I-Photo. Mostly hate...but mostly because I don't know how to work it correctly and am very, very impatient with anything electronic. My newest photos won't import so we bring you our recent hiking trip to a state park. Mostly it's too hot in Florida to do much romping in the woods...so when the weather changes we LOVE to take the girls to our fav clear springs and let them run and be pretend injuns. This time my brother went along ...again a greatly needed helping hand to pull girlies out of freezing water. We can't resist getting wet no matter how cold that water gets:) He wanted to give the girls a glimpse of the wildlife that inhabits these woods...deer, bunnies, bear, raccoons, etc....but he soon learned that wild indians scream and squeal at the least little crackling of leaves. The wildlife mysteriously never materialized. Go figure:)

Leni is officially scheduled for surgery on Nov. 30th at 6:30 am. Hopefully this mom can be hyper organized about the holidays this year. Right now it seems overwhelming but we go step by step....one day at a time....being guided by the one who knows every step before and behind us!! More than likely there will be no snail mail cards... e-cards will have to do:) I"m adjusting my expectations and replacing it with gratefulness that this little lady is getting the help she needs!

Now...back to fighting with my computer.....

Do I Hear A WHOOT??!!

We now have I-photo downloaded and life can resume full speed ahead!! Kung-Fu Panda here is ready for action!!

Please keep us in your prayers as this week and next we continue with surgical consults on Miss Leni! She's doing well but we certainly want her surgery done ASAP. I'm happy to be able to blog more normally now...cuz the ladies and little gent are so very full of life and are doing wonderfully! Lots is happening.....so we don't want to miss a thing!

Hello Again...

Lots has been happening on the home front:) We have a new computer which is awesome, wonderful news. (CAN YOU SAY HULU THREE TIMES FAST???? We double heart HULU!!) We arent' set up to download photos yet but will be hopefully in a couple of days then everything will be back to normal.??!! Leni is doing great. Her asthma is under control with her new meds and is sleeping the best we've seen her in a while. She does have obstructive apnea which is under evaluation as well. She needs her tonsils and adenoids removed but the complicating factor is that she has a partially collapsed trachea which complicates having anesthesia. We aren't worried but the surgeon is. We're seeking a second opinion. We think the risk of her trachea is minor compared to the relief she'll experience having the surgery. The third and largest find is that she has been diagnosed with Narcolepsy. We've been doing our research because in children this neurological disorder is pretty rare. It has to do with a lack of Hypocretin in the Hypothalmus in the brain. It causes severe disruptions in the sleep cycle so her body never experiences recovery sleep so critical to every human. What's interesting is that it causes cognitive, neuromuscular issues, and cataplexy among other symptoms. She has pretty near every symptom associated with Narcolepsy. There is no known cure so for now she'll be on meds until they find one:) Basically we're trying to replace the hypocretin (Using naturally compounded perscriptions) so she'll begin normal sleep cycles. We're excited to finally be getting somewhere and can already see improvement after being on meds only a week. Thank you God!! We're not done yet....as we're set to see more specialists in the coming days. Keep praying!

Here's a quote that has spoken to me in these days comes from my close friend Amy Carmichael.


SOLDIERS
It matters a good deal that your book-food should be about strong meat. We are what we think about. Think about trivial things of weak things and somehow one loses fibre and becomes flabby in spirit. Soldiers need to be strong.
Soldiers have not time for everything. "I have no time for anything outside my profession," a young officer said once, and in measure that is true. WE can't be entangled in the affair of this life if we are to be real soldiers. By its affairs I mean its chatter and its ways of thinking and deciding questions, its whole aspect and trend.

As we go about our week, may we not lose our 'soldier' mentality and labor with diligence for the Audience of One... the one who upholds our every breath and heartbeat. I pray that I would not lose my focus or be distracted by the cares of this life that would continually shout at me to listen to them louder than I believe the promises of scripture. How do we do this?? By being a soldier that memorizes scripture and hides it in our hearts....just like we love our children to do. Very simple actually:) Have a wonderful week!!

Drumroll please......

We have a diagnosis and a plan of action! I'm still debating how much to share .....so patience please!

Update...

Well...here goes. Leni, age 8 has had asthma related issues since her adoption and some developmental issues that haven't resolved themselves. Part of the 'plan' included watching her...getting therapy and hoping she outgrew most of what has continued to plague her. Now at 8 years old we are taking more aggressive action to those remaining issues. We started from scratch basically all over again getting tests, tests, and more tests. Here's what has surfaced so far and as much as I'm comfortable revealing. Her asthma remains and after today's pulmonology visit...is still pretty bad. The lung Dr. today said we need to be very aggressive in treating her from now on because her oxygenation is pretty sad.:( We got new scripts and are going to do just that. Leni also had an overnight sleep study done which revealed 'obstructive apnea with excessive sleep fragmentation'....in other words...she stops breathing in her sleep 3-4x an hour. Yuck. Put that on top of low oxygenation levels anyway and now we know why the poor thing has struggled. We will be seeing an ENT on Monday to schedule surgery to have her tonsils/adnoids removed ASAP. The next test will be a daytime sleep study that will look further into another possibility .... She currently has a cyst at the base of her brain stem that they are checking to see if it's putting pressure on the stem. That could also be aggravating her symptoms and causing her hypotonia (low muscle tone) as well. There is a possibility of another surgery here as well.

This is alot for an 8 year old:) but we're grateful to God for his mercy over this little girl. Not once have we ever doubted His great love for her and we know all is in His hands as we walk this thru. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we walk this thru in a way that gives the glory back to God. He is faithful!!

Hello! We've been gradually getting test results in which is resulting in more tests:) Yes, things are showing up which is actually good news. We have another major appointment on Wednesday after which I'll be able hopefully to explain a little further what we've been up to.

Thanks for your prayers AGAIN!! Back again soon!!

Our Little Patient

We are in the middle of lots of doctor visits, tests, and more tests. Our little patient is doing amazingly well considering all the poking and prodding going on! There are some asthma issues that Leni hasn't outgrown that they are doing more intensive testing on....in addition to looking for some underlying causes she continues to battle. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as we are getting answers! One of those is new glasses for our sweetie:) Here she is after having to have a general anesthesia for one test....being wheeled out in her chariot to the car. If you don't know this angel...she's a silent sufferer and has taken all this in stride. She's amazing!

We're rockin and rolling with all our appointments around here! Miss Leni has been poked, prodded, and hooked up to all kinds of beeping machinery over the course of this last week. Some of it was fun.... Mostly not so fun but she's a trooper! More tests and doctor visits this coming week. Hopefully I can get some pics to show she approves of:) Thanks for your prayers!!

A Funny!

We certainly mean no disrespect to the office of the President but this is how I found Katie Mei at our local craft store the other night. The outfit was completely her doing....including the nose-picking. Yea for phone cameras! Isn't this hysterical??!!

Life.....

Well...we've settled into a dull-but-not-so-dull routine of school, school,activities, school, and did I mention school?? The ladies are doing FANTASTIC this year...so I'm going to ride the wave of this momentum as long as it lasts!! The older girls are homeschooled, while Katie attends K4 three days a week. What's funny about Katie is that last year she loved school but wouldn't talk unless spoken to. This year she's the bossy one...with hands on hips telling all the boys what and where to go! We are by FAR the smallest in the class but we make up for that in the boldness of our mouth (says the teacher!!). Gotta smile:) Survival of the fittest at it's best!

Everyone can pray for us too, if you feel led. We've started the ball rolling on some major diagnostic testing on one of our little ladies. We'll be seeing 5 specialists in the coming weeks....including having to undergo a general anesthetic for one procedure. Not fun, but necessary as the time has come to make some decisions and get the help she (we) needs. It's hard to explain needles and such to a little one...so your prayers are coveted. Thank you!!

I hope to be back on track posting here as well!! I'm finding the multi-tasking is not getting any easier as time marches on!! Now back to phonics fun....!

A Little Fun...

This Mom and Dad took the night off this past weekend to head out to a benefit for our favorite foundation. The event took place at Universal's City Walk where we dined at the Red Parrot Club then their karaoke club.."Rising Star". Each table had a celebrity that sang for them....all to raise money for Central Florida's working poor...children and adults alike. Our company had a table and our celebrities were the presidents of two local universities. We were in the company of Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick (both of Nsync fame), Nick Anderson (Orlando Magic), local news personalites, various Baseball stars,Molly Hatchet (remember them??), Shaq's Mom who sang a rousing rendition of Respect...and the list goes on. A great evening for a great cause!! Lots of fun!

Life is Sometimes Better When...

..you make up your own rules!! Katie and Cade are tight. Buddies. Allies. Amigos. We're so glad until it could hurt a body part. I caught these two sliding down into the pool on top of kickboards. Thank goodness they were wearing floaties because they sometimes hit the water...sometimes the steps...sometimes land. They thought it was an opportunity for uproarious laughter and had a ball. Then Miss Katie decided to go 'sans-flotation' and has been swimming-like-a-fishy all in two days. She's so tiny that we still sit poised for rescue action because it's a STTTRRREEETTTCCCHHHH into that wall sometimes. You go girl and boy!!

Mad Scientists On The Loose!

....well...hopefully not too loose! The P.C. got passes to our local Science Center to enhance the 'academic advancement of their gray matter' this school year and it is proving to be a hit!! Half the time they have no idea what they are studying there but hey...we're working on it:) Here you will see them blasting off to outer space in the Space Shuttle....and Eloise's and Katie's fav...the hamster wheel. Gravity has never been so funny!!

Here's the Gang....

Here's the latest of the group...minus the grandparents and plus our cute little mexican cousin (lower left in the pink tu-tu!!). Jason and Mel are expecting #2 in early March....Julie is 21, Leni,8, Kristin,6, Katie Mei,4, Cade,3, and the ever ageless parents:) Do you know how HARD it is to get a picture like this??!! But...oh so worth it!!

Happy Birthday Leni!!

Our first adopted princess, Leni, turned 8 this week! We celebrated with a Hawwaiian Luau Party complete with limbo, pinata, cupcake decorating, Lei necklace making but sad to say....no roasted piggie. This was our first angel to be plucked from "the fields of the fatherless" and we are so very honored to be her parents! She has taught us to slow life down and see things through her eyes...which are beautiful by the way!! When she grows up whe wants to be a vet...because compassion and animals go hand in hand with this sweet girl!! Happy Birthday Leni!!

HMMMMM.......

Take a good look at the birthday ticker below right and see what our next family event is......somebody's turning...??????

School Days, School Days.. Good Ol Golden Rule Days...

Yep...we're back. And our lovely group of princesses have started school. Katie is a whopping 4 years old and enrolled in Florida's VPK at her regular pre-school the ladies have attended. What that means....is that it's a state-run protocol but you can stay at your regular private school with your marvelous teachers you're used to!! Whoo-hoo!! Funding was cut some this year and it was uncertain how it was going to look...but yea baby!! We started... and the state came through!! Leni and Kristin are both home-schooled and taking various classes for extra-curricular brain power. It's gonna be a good year...this mom can tell!! Here's Miss Katie Mei on her first day of Pre-K! We are by far the tiniest in the class...but there is another little girl from the Middle East...and a little boy recently adopted from Russia. :) We heart our school!!