From Cubbies to Sparks!

There is nothing I love more than seeing our girl learn and quote scripture. Tonight, we celebrated the end of a wonderful year in AWANA's. Chloe got to go up on stage in front of our church to receive a blue ribbon to place on her "Cubbie" vest. She will move up next year going from "Cubbie" to "Spark."

She worked hard this year, only missing a handful of Wednesdays. We are so proud of what she's accomplished! I pray she will continue to hide God's Word in her heart.

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth." Deuteronomy 11:18-21

Daddy vs Chloe

Who doesn't enjoy a good game of soccer in the back yard?

Chloe telling her daddy, "bring it on!!!"

Chloe won...as usual!

Divine Appointments

Ever had one of those Divine Appointments? You know, those occurrences that are so special it is as if God is behind it all. Well, Ben and I had one of those last night. Several months ago I noticed a woman that was in my Sunday School class was on facebook. Our church is so big there are still people we don't know. I decided even though I've never talked to her in class I would ask her to be my friend on facebook. It wasn't long that she accepted and we became "friends."

Somehow, Ben became facebook "friends" with their son. I think Ben said he had seen something he posted on a common friends wall or something. I haven't a clue. After several facebook comments back and forth Ben mentions to me how he would love to get to know this family better. I see Lori Wednesday night at church. I actually think this is the first time we talk in person. The amazing thing is, we have been going to Pleasant Valley South for five years. They have been going three and this is the first time we have actually spoken to one another! She tells me she and James really wanted to ask us over to dinner so we could all get to know each other. Weird, huh? :)

Well, the invitation came Friday night for dinner Saturday. Ben and I quickly agreed because at this point we have realized God may be trying to tell us something. Something that has to do with this change in us. You see, God has been doing a work in our lives lately. We can't really pinpoint what it is, but it's something. We feel like we are at a crossroads of some sort, but don't even know what THAT means. We know that we both have an increased desire for God's Word. A hunger for more. To me, the verse "... desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." has become a constant reminder that God's Word is my life source. John MacArthur says, "Spiritual growth is always marked by a craving for and a delight in God's Word..."If you are a non-believer you will not understand this. All of this talk will be "foolishness" to you. That's sad to me, but is a whole other blog entry.

As Ben, Chloe and I arrive for dinner, we are greeted by the nicest, most laid back family. I am convinced it was one of those "Divine Appointments." We talked about our faith, beliefs, and desires to know our Lord better. We soon discover we are "like-minded" as Philippians 2:2 puts it. Josh, their son is finishing up his seminary degree. He taught himself how to play the piano and even played and sang a few hymns for us before we left. We listened to one of his sermons on our way home. He certainly has a calling on his life. Their love for the Lord is obvious.

We are excited and anticipating what God wants from us. Happy he has brought these new friends into our lives. We are looking forward to our next get together.



Lori snapped these photos...I love Chloe's expression in this one!


I did explain to Chloe this is what NOT to do when being photographed, but I love it, nonetheless!




"As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17

"Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common..." Acts 2:44

Ice Cream

Oh, the bliss of Summer, school being out, ice cream and of course photos! You can see the happiness in Hannah's expression. She just didn't get why I wanted to bring the camera along to our ice cream outing. You would think by now she would know me well enough to know I love taking pictures of ordinary everyday events. I absolutely love her expressions in these photos! This is precisely why I bring along the camera!

This is the "Oh no, not again" look....I love this face! (Strawberry Cheesecake)




Sweet Lauren is always so compliant, she smiles when you ask her to....(Cotton Candy Explosion)


Chloe just basically concentrated on eating the Dinosaur cookie!(Dino Sundae)




Hannah finally accepts the fact that I'm GOING to take photos. She is giving me that..."Kim, you're crazy" smile! :) I love it!

I went for the free kiddie scoop...(Butter Pecan)


"I doubt whether the world holds for any one a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream." Heywood Broun

It's a gurl!

It's late, but I will forget this if I don't write it down....

Tonight after coming home from church, Chloe jumps out of the car and runs to the backyard to see the puppies. She yells at me as she's half way across the yard to ask if I'll get her bag and her "things" out of the backseat. Of course, I agree. She couldn't wait to see those little tiny puppies.

I go and put our things inside then go join her. As I reach the doghouse where the puppies are she is already holding a little white one. Madeline is sitting close by, still being very protective. Chloe joyfully tells me how this puppy has been sucking on her finger like it did yesterday. I ask her if it's a boy or girl puppy. Her reply, "It's a gurl, it says it on it's bottom!"

A mother's protectiveness

We enjoyed some family time this evening. Ben cut the grass and Chloe and I played outside. Well, we actually just gazed at puppies all evening. Madeline is still very protective of her brood. They are only three days old today and it's hard for us to keep our hands off of them.

Madeline's protectiveness over her puppies reminds me a little of myself when we first brought Chloe home. I remember being very protective of her. Ben and I had been to classes about how important it would be for us to bond with her. I remember being told it would be crucial for me to be the only one to hold her for the first several weeks. Ben wasn't going for that, he couldn't wait to hold her. I remember him telling me right after the "gotcha" moment, "I'm holding her as soon as we get on that bus!" My mother was not too thrilled about this recommendation either. She waited as long as she could at the airport after we arrived back in Atlanta. Moments after walking up the terminal where she, Hannah, Lauren, Keli, Kaci and Memar were waiting, my mother held her and planted kisses all over her sweet face.

Madeline is easing up a little, although she will still nudge my hand out of the way when I go to reach for one. We try to keep the visits short and sweet. In a crazy kind of way, I know how she feels. I didn't want all kinds of hands on my baby either. I didn't even want anyone else changing her diaper.

Soon though, she will appreciate the help just like Ben and I did.

Just playing in the yard....

"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord." Psalm 113:9

Kicking and Screaming

As I was working on chores around the house this morning my mind kept coming back to how quickly time is slipping through my hands. Chloe was playing around the house going from one room to the other, playing with her barbies, actually giving them all free haircuts. She will be starting to kindergarten in just two and a half short months. I should be happy right? So why the watery eyes and eventual tears?

A lot of parents are happy when their children start to school. I guess they look at it like, ahhhh freedom at last. More "me" time. Well not me! Time is dragging me along. I would kick and scream if I thought it would do any good. I'm trying to grab anything to hold on to, anything to stop it.

After deciding homeschooling was not going to work for us, we have made the prayerful decision to put her in a private school. There are many reasons why I love this school. Chloe actually had to be interviewed to be accepted. It's difficult to even "get in". Ben and I left her for several hours in the classroom with the teacher and other current kindergartners. We have visited numerous times and I feel really comfortable with where she will be everyday. One class per grade is ideal for her and for us. It's website boasts of 26,000 acres being the "ultimate outdoor classroom". After talking in depth to her upcoming kindergarten teacher and other parents from this school I am confident it's a well protected environment. She is already insisting on riding the school bus that first day. Thankfully the bus only travels on the campus, no public streets. She is so excited. She will excel in school, I know. She is ready. It's me that's not.

I have been telling Ben, it just doesn't seem right to me. We prayed and waited so long for her, she's been here with me or her two grandmothers since day one. Now, all of a sudden for the next 13 plus years she will be gone five days a week from 8am until 3pm. Am I the only parent who thinks this?

Perhaps it's just me not wanting to let go of her. I don't know. Ben says I'm going through what every "good" mother goes through. I can't imagine any mother NOT feeling this way. How can parents everyday just put their children on school buses and not have a concern in the world about where their child is going. Some parents never even visit the school beforehand. How in the world can a parent do that?

One thing is certain, in August, I will be on my knees in prayer a lot. My time with her here has been oh so sweet. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I just wish it would last a little bit longer....

"Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord..." Psalm 127:3

Puppies

We woke up this morning to some excitement in the backyard! Tybee, our inside dog woke me up around 7am to go out. Ben had already left for work. I noticed when I opened the door to let her out only one of our outside dogs, Matilda, was on the porch. This being somewhat unusual, our two outside dogs are usually "joined at the hip", I investigated further to find our other outside dog, Madeline, underneath the girls playhouse. Knowing she is "expecting" I immediately come to the conclusion she must be giving birth! I go grab some clothes to put on then make my way out to the playhouse to see if I can see anything. As I reach the playhouse I hear the tiny cries of puppies. It's hard to see under the playhouse, there is not much room at all for Madeline to maneuver so I start contemplating what to do.

I run back to the house to grab a flashlight then go back out to see if I can see anything. Every time I would come in and go back out Madeline would come out. She would have to kick like crazy on her side to get out from underneath the playhouse. In the process of her kicking to get out from under the playhouse she was kicking dirt all over those little, still wet, puppies. I know she's going to have to come out to eat and drink while nursing and it's going to be a terrible struggle for her each time. It was really making me anxious. I get on the phone and call my mother-in-law. She convinces me, I must move the puppies.

Let me tell you, I have NO EXPERIENCE when it comes to dogs giving birth. Actually, I have NO EXPERIENCE to anything giving birth. But my wonderfully calm mother-in-law tells me exactly what to do.

We decide I'm going to move them to the doghouse. I make a really nice comfortable bed with some fresh pine straw and an old beach towel. However, every time I reach underneath I get a good growl from mama Madeline. I know though, she can't bite me she can't move enough under there to even be close. I get up enough courage to grab one. I grabbed it, then grabbed another one and moved those two to the doghouse. Madeline quickly kicks her way out from underneath and I show her where I've moved them. There are three left to retrieve. While Madeline is cleaning up the muddy two I grabbed two more and brought them to her. Bless her heart, I honestly think she was so thankful. There is one last one to get but it's on the other side and I can't reach it. I tried to get a stick to see if I could gently pull it to me but it's too far under.

This is the amazing part....

Madeline crawls back under the playhouse, gently picks it up in her mouth. She's on her side having to kick to even move around under there, but she manages to bring the last puppy to the opening close enough for me to gently take it out of her mouth. It was as if she knew I was trying to help her. I can describe it as nothing other than an incredible moment.

Here is Madeline and five puppies right after I moved them from underneath the playhouse.

Well, I quickly realize, she's not finished. I go back inside for a couple of minutes then come back and there are two more. She births one right outside the doghouse. She picks it up and carries it inside to join the others...

After 11 puppies, she finally finished. A few hours later we discover one had died. After Ben got home from work (he missed all this!) we buried it and had a little memorial service. I think he and I both thought Chloe would take the death hard. Surprisingly, her only comment was..."At least we have a whole bunch of em!"

Proud mother of ten!

Webster's describes Instinct as~a largely inheritable and unalterable tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason, it also says, behavior that is mediated by reactions below the conscious level.

A mother's instinct is just a plain and simple miracle to me, whether it's human, canine, or any other motherly instinct for that matter.

God never fails to astonish me!

"In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?" Job 12:10

Soccer Awards

Tonight Chloe's first soccer season came to an end with an awards ceremony. She's had a wonderful first season and her daddy and I think soccer might just be her game. Of course he has made the comment they will "retire" her jersey and probably sell it on Ebay. We are both so proud of her. She really excelled at this soccer thing. She scored 35 times in eight games, but who was really keeping score... ;)



She received a trophy and a new soccer ball!


Pawpaw, Nana, Memar, Hannah, Keli, Kaci, Ben and myself were all in attendance. She had a lot of support throughout the season. We are thankful for such a fully involved family!

Pawpaw then treated everyone afterwards to Las Palmas. It was a great night!

The "Indescribable Gift" of being a Mother

We just had a terrific Mother's Day weekend. Ben got really brave and took five women to dinner on Friday night. It was his mother, my mother, Lauren, Chloe and myself. Hannah had her recital Friday so she was unable to come. He treated us to a wonderful meal at Olive Garden. It was nice having his mother and my mother together. They are two of the most wonderful women I know. Both are loving women with high morals and deep rooted integrity. We are so blessed to be able to call them our Mothers and the children's grandmothers.

Mother's day always make me reflect on the miracle of becoming a mother myself. I remember China like it was yesterday. With those nine other families, all of our hearts were pounding, I was already crying before I even stepped foot inside that building where our Chloe was waiting.

I remember approaching the building, the doors were opened. All you could hear were babies crying. It sounded like 50 babies, but it was really only ten. I remember spotting Chloe the minute I saw those ten girls. Her hair stuck straight up all over. I knew it was her. She was being held by an orphanage worker. I remember hearing other family's names being called out and Ben and I waiting, I think we were last or next to last, that part is kind of a blur.

Some of these next words in quotes are not mine, they are from a book (The Lost Daughter's of China~Karin Evans). I kept this book close at hand during our adoption process but it describes perfectly the moment...

"We shot out of our chairs, hearts pounding. As if walking to a church altar, we approached the front of the room. We faced the door, and in a blur of motion, two women rushed toward us and gently thrust a baby into our arms."

"Suddenly we were looking into our daughter's tiny face...."

Chloe was dressed in a yellow onesie. She had on several layers I discovered after getting her back to the room. (I couldn't wait to get her clothes off so I could look her over, see if those Mongolian spots that everyone had told me about were "real," give her a bath and get some Johnson's baby lotion on her! Also, couldn't wait to get a pink bow in that spiked hair.) I had for some miraculous reason brought along some toys, a little rattle that I gave her that would stop her crying only for brief spells.

Another quote...

"I gazed at her in wonder and disbelief. More names were called in the next few minutes and ten more babies were carried in and put in waiting arms, until the small room rang with laughing and crying and the high hum of profound emotional release."

"It was like some otherwordly mass birth....Here we all were, a bunch of Chinese babies and a band of parents from half a world away and all our lives changed at once. That morning these children had been orphans waking up in a high rise in south China, and soon we were about to carry them aboard a tour bus heading out of town. One minute we didn't have a baby and the next we did. The same, I realize, can be said of any woman in labor, by any father in the delivery room~and no wonder the moment of birth is so awesome."

"Those of us who stood in that orphanage waiting room didn't have quite the same physical buildup, the expanding womb, birth pains. Instead we carried around a load of anxieties for a couple of years and met our new babies with butterflies in our stomachs....We were standing on shaky legs...We were breathless~as if we'd been plunged into a cold ocean or hauled up into thin air. We were scared to death. We were floating on some unfamiliar joyful current."

"It was an event so much bigger than we were that we could barely stay in our senses....Just as the story of eggs and semen and gestation hardly gets at the miracle of birth, an account of babies being handed to new parents in an orphanage waiting room does not capture the essence of the adoption experience, either. Something unfathomable is at work~quite impossible to describe...."

One last quote...

"In a split second, our lives flowed together like the rivulets of water crisscrossing my daughter's native landscape. What had drawn us to this moment in China now seemed as perfectly timed and inevitable as the ebb and flow of the tides, as if we, too, had been pulled to this place by some invisible force of the earth-moon system. The universe shifted. And not just for us, but for all the other parents with us in that room that day and for all the others in different orphanages and hotel rooms at different times in provinces all over China. In that moment, the lost daughters of China were transformed into miracles."

by day three we had these smiles...

Chloe is 2nd from the right in the Gold, coming OFF the famous Red Couch

It's hard to believe it will be five years this October that I became a "Mama". I can't really remember my life before her. I'm so grateful to God for her. After thinking I might not ever become a mother to have her is just icing on this cake I call my life. What a gift!

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

Tybee Island

Ben and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary this year. Since this one is kind of a "big one" we decided to go back to where it all started. It began as a trip for just the two of us, but as the time for us to leave got closer and closer we both started dreading leaving Chloe behind. After a few discussions, we both decided we should just take her along. It would be special to show her where her daddy proposed to her mama.

I'll never forget the day Ben proposed. It was June 11th, 2000. We had been dating since January. It was a Sunday and he told me to bring some clothes to change in to that we would be taking a surprise trip after church. After church we got into his car and started driving. It was exciting because I loved surprises! Still do! After I knew we were headed toward Atlanta, I thought perhaps we might be going to see a Braves game. After passing Turner Field I couldn't imagine where we were going.

We ended up on Tybee Island. I'll never forget him jumping out of the car running across the street to look towards the ocean. He jumped back in the car and drove for a few more minutes. He jumped out again, came back and said, OK, this is the place. After getting out of the car I realized he had been looking for the one pier on the island. We walked out on that pier and he pulled out a ring. I think I was shaking. He then asked me "Will you grow old with me?" It was one of the sweetest moments of my life. After the proposal we turned around and drove all the way back home. We stopped and made several calls to family and ate at the Huddle House.


You see in 1999 I started praying earnestly for God's will in my life. I had prayed for a man like him. I knew he loved the Lord and I always knew God had something special for me. I had dated him a little when we were both at West Ga College. I had at that time wanted a more serious relationship but he wanted to play the field. Little did I know at that time that God would bring him back into my life.


Tybee Island is a special place for us. When we got our rat terrier in 2001 Ben came up with her name, "Tybee". We had not been back there in the 10 years we have been married until our trip last week.

It was a wonderful trip! I made Ben "re-enact" the proposal....




Lucky for him I brought the tripod. I can't believe he did it!

We played on the beach and shopped. We were able to walk everywhere. We stayed at a hotel right across from the pier. It was so relaxing.

Chloe and I climbed the lighthouse.... twice!





She ate ice cream everyday...




We did the beach pictures that everyone does....





We ate at The Breakfast Club, rated #6 in Southern Living as one of the top 10 places to eat breakfast in Georgia.


We went to Savannah for a day to catch a Savannah Sand Gnat's game. We also rode the water taxi across the river.

On the way home there was one last surprise, a stop in Kennesaw at one of our favorite dating spots, Spaghetti Warehouse for dinner. We ate on the train...Chloe loved it!

Ben says we'll go back. Maybe in 10 years we'll be able to leave Chloe, she'll be 15. We'll see...


"...but I found him who my soul loveth.." Song of Solomon 3:4