I learn a great deal from my children. This morning Sarah was very sweet. She came from the other side of the room and cuddled in my lap. Then Juergen and the boys went to work and school. Sarah demanded to go to school NOW!!! I said wait, I had some stuff I needed to take care of first. My sweet Sarah turned very sour. She began to cry and shout. I don't know how you are, but I try never to give into this demanding tone. I quietly gathered my things and left the room. Sarah shouted orders at me for another 2 minutes before she fell asleep on the sofa. I took care of my business, and got dressed. Then I woke her up and took her to school. As I was walking home I thought about this. How am I with God? Do I demand what I want NOW!!! Can I get to the point of making my requests known to him without shouting orders like an overly demanding 4 year old? It really is all about trust.

Wouldn't you like to be the one who puts a smile on this 3 year old girls face? She has Hep B and is waiting on CHI's new waiting list. There are 20 beautiful boys and girls on this list go take a look...maybe you will find your next child!

Up Date: This cute girl already got her family! Isn't that great!!!

I have been tagged by Beverly to tell you 8 things about me.
...So, here are the rules of the 8 Random Things tag game:
1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

1. Let's start with Juergen. I met him when I was 28 years old. I was on a summer mission’s trip. I was a University pastor at San Diego State University and we were assisting a sister ministry in Munchen, Germany. Only one week before I left for this trip, I had gone on a date with a very important single Dr. in San Diego. The man talked only about himself, and I thought it was very boring. I was so amazed to met Juergen. I could not believe a person so right for me even exsisted in this world. Juergen and I have been married for 17 years and I have never been bored with him.

2. I still think I want to adopt again. I know that's crazy. I also know now is not the time. Maybe in 2009 and an older child. I would like Sarah to have a sister or brother her own age to grow up with. Juergen has not said yes to this crazy idea. I think it gives him peace that I said not now. Maybe he thinks I'll forget the idea...and maybe I think the idea will grow on him? Stay tune to see who wins this debate.

3. Juergens mom is very sick. She has 3 brain tumors. It looks like she will die. I spend a great deal of my day praying for her. I know I should accept this, but I am still praying for a miracle. I feel like God has called me to pray. He didn't give me any assurance it will prevent her death, in fact she may die. I feel His Holy Sprit saying that God will bless my prayers anyway. I just need to be obedient with my part. God always wants our obedience. I really love my mother in law. This is a very sad time for me.

4. I read the real estate section of the newspaper every Saturday morning. We own our house, but I'm always hunting for a big charming old farm house. I want high ceilings and wood floors and a fire place. My house is nice, but it isn't my favorite style. I love old stuff. This is a very bad habit, and I know I should just stop looking! There is something to be said for being happy with what you have. I want an old house and one more child...crazy!

5. I love coffee but I drink tee. Actually, I drink one cup of coffee every morning and tee the rest of the day. I think it's healthier that way. I'm not that healthy, but I'm making baby steps in that direction. I'm 46 years old and I've got to take care of myself. I've got to live to raise my daughter Sarah (she is only 4 years old).

6. I could watch Pride and Prejudice 5 times straight and never get bored. I have this movie in 3 different versions. I've read all of Jane Austen’s novels more then a few times. I could not really tell you why I just love her point of view. I guess it's because her characters really have noble principles they live by. They are basically good and correct people. They don't find satisfying their own desires a higher priority then doing the right thing. I love the loyalty I see in Elizabeth. She was willing to turn down wealth because she was loyal to her sister. I just love that!

7. I love to plant the plants in the spring time, but I hate the work of taking care of them all summer long. I need to be careful that I don't treat my kids the same way. It is so exciting to adopt them...but they are allot of work to take care of. I have a list of dentist appointments, and Doctor Appointments to set up for the kids. I've got high matinence kids. I really need to get to the laundry etc...

8. I didn't go to my prom. I did not have a date, and I didn't want to go with just anyone. I'm sort of glad I didn't just go with "anyone". My best friend in high school did just go with a guy that asked her. It ended up being a nightmare long date. I think good things don't always happen in the normal path most people take. It seems "everyone" goes to the prom, but I didn't. I took a different road and I did different stuff. I think everyone has to find their own path and sometimes that means you dance on the streets in Paris, and not in the school gym. At the time it seemed like a loss…but today it is such a minor thing.


I'm not going to tag 8 people for this, but if you want to do it then please leave me a comment & I will go read your post.

Sarah was fighting with her brother Philip today. They fight allot lately. They are oil and water. Anyway, I went into Philips room to break them up. I told Sarah she could come in the kitchen and work with me. She grabbed my arm and said "My Mama"! I think it was the very first time she has said my named in that overly possessive tone of hers. It felt kind of good! She helped me with the dishes. She just loves to work. I paid her too. I gave her a box of peanuts. She was pretty proud of her peanuts!

Praise God! Sarah's twin has a family!!! No, not us. I just read it on the agency’s yahoo group. She is such a beautiful girl. I am so happy she will have her own family!!!

Oh look at the time!!! I was shopping, and I bought Jessica some warm winter shoes. I looked at the shoe box and remembered I need to send my shoebox gifts out soon! If fact I've got 3 days to pack them. This is an annual thing we do with our kids. It may seem very small, but for thousands of kids around the world this is all they will get for Christmas. For them it is a very big deal! Please get busy and pack a few shoe boxes full of gifts for a child in need. If you can not pack a box, then please write a check to help pay for the shipping. And remember to do a good job...don't pack junk! Give like it was going to your own child...who knows, maybe it is!

In Germany look HERE.

I don't know if you have been following the adoption of Sera, a few posts down. They had their passports and visas stolen in a pack they carried to a local park. It looks like everything is getting worked out. I read one tip I thought was worth passing on. Besides never carrying those important papers around, and locking everything up in the hotel safe...make copies of your passports and visas and e-mail them to yourself in an attachment. This way if you do lose them, you can get the copies anywhere and anytime! Sera is having attachment problems. Pray for her new mom! I think the paper work nightmare is taken care of!

I just read this prayer request on a yahoo group. I know the writer of this prayer request; Jodi wouldn't mind me posting it here. Please pray for this family! This is a heart breaking situation. Please pray!

...I wanted to share a HUGE prayer request right now for a friend of
mine who is in China adopting her first and only daughter. Her name
is Sandi and her daughter is Hannah. Hannah is also a SN baby and
I'm not sure at the moment what her SN is, however. Sandi emailed me
a couple of days ago to pray for her husband, Dennis, as he had not
been feeling well because he is diabetic and his blood sugars have
been VERY high. We just got word this morning that he died from a
diabetic coma yesterday while there in Guangzhou. As you can
imagine, Sandi needs every prayer imaginable right now. Her mother
and brother are trying to get emergency visas to fly to China to
bring her home. We're also praying that their adoption of Hannah
will continue as planned and that China will not interfere.

Winkflash has another photo contest. This time it's the funniest face contest. The winner gets 2000 free prints. I am going to take some shots of my family and see what I can come up with. How about you?

Juergen is visiting his mom this weekend. Sarah fell asleep in my arms tonight. Life is so full of contrasts. We have the sadness of maybe losing Juergen's mom soon, and the joy of having Sarah. My kids give me so much hope. Sure they give me gray hair too...but I'm so blessed. She is so beautiful to watch when she sleeps. I still can not believe how far we have come together. I’m so grateful for the gift of being her mom.

HERE is the link to a family that got their daughter today. She has a serious cleft lip and pallet. The local folks have already approached the family and said if front of the child how ugly she is. Imagine, to the poor girls face! I can not wait to see how she looks in a few short months when that lip is repaired. It is hard in China. There are so many people, and life is just so hard for anyone who is not "perfect". Health care is very costly. It can really break a family. I think the Chinese are not mean, life is just very hard there. It is unbearable for the "disabled". She would have no future in China. Today she has a family that loves her, and will provide for her needs. She will be "normal" and she will be really loved and valued.

Sarah the super star!

St Martins fire

I would love to report to you that Sarah is 100% adjusted, but that just wouldn't be true. There is about 2% of her that just has a very hard time dealing with change. Maybe that's just her age (she is 4 years old) or maybe it's just our control freak Sarah. She really, REALLY likes to know what to expect. If you change her routine, she has a fit! This morning she was sleeping deeply (and she needs her sleep). Juergen normally wakes her up to say good bye before work. He tried to wake her, but she was sleeping deeply. When she woke up, she screamed bloody murder! I called Juergen on the phone (I think I interrupted his meeting), so Sarah could say goodbye to him. I thought that would help. It only caused her to move from fear to anger. She continued to scream and say she hated me and didn't want me! It's like she was blaming me for Juergen's unannounced departure. I stayed calm, but I also said I would not take her to school until she calmed down. Sarah is very stubborn. She dressed herself and grabbed her own shoes. I'm sure she would have tried to walk to school all by herself but I had locked the front door. So slowly she gave up her anger. Slowly she backed off her ledge and came to me and said sorry. After that long drama, I had to hurry to take her to school. They close the door at 9:30am. She is fine, and again poor mama needs some headache medicine. I think she trys to hurts me when she is hurt. She wants to reject me first...because she is afraid she is going to be rejected. We have come a very long way, but we are still not totally adjusted. These things take time. I know she loves me. She is just too use to the women in her life going away. It will take time for her to trust that I'm not going anywhere!

This is on the CCAA website
there is no longer a need for family size waivers for SN cases.


"The number of children in family under the age of 18 years does
not reach 5, and the youngest one should have reached the age of 1
year.
Adoption of special needs children will be exempt from the limitation".

What does this mean? It means in China, large families with 5 or more children at home are able to apply for special needs kids without seeking a family size wavier! That means if Juergen agrees to adopt again (a Juergen waiver is very hard to recieve...and most likely will not be granted) we could adopt a special needs child from China.

I just read this post on a yahoo group. Maybe it will be something for some of you?

If you are a fundraiser and need a grant, this is a good place to
start! A newer organization, The Asian Bridge, is a matching grant.
One of the founders, Geoff, is a super nice guy and would like people
to apply for thier grants! So take a look, you never know if this is
the grant that will bring your child home.

http://www.theasianbridge.org/

Sarah slept 3 hours yesterday afternoon. After that she felt much better. She went to school this morning. She was in a "I can do it myself" kind of mood. She dressed herself. She carried her own bag. She hung her coat up, and put her own house shoes on. She wasn't mean about it, just independent. Tomorrow night she gets to attend her firs St Martins day fire. The kids all make these beautiful lanterns and march and sing songs. Then there is a big bonfire. Hopefully she will be well for this big celebration. Here is the history of St Martins day. This is a very big deal in the South of Germany.

Here is a beautiful New York Times adoption story.

Sarah didn't seem herself this morning. I took her to kindergarten because she really wanted to go. The teacher called me to pick Sarah up early. She looked like she might be getting sick. She did not eat much lunch. After lunch I said "maybe we should take a nap?" Wrong answer! Sarah began to cry for her Papa. She stood at the door and cried like she did when we first came home from China. I've learned that her little dramas usually don't last long when she has no audience. I said I was going to my room to take a nap. She followed me and continued to cry for her Papa. I invited her to lay down with me. She said no nap. I said OK, we will just cuddle. With in 3 minutes Sarah was asleep. I'm sure she is sick and will probably sleep for hours. I know she does not hate me...I just said the N word (nap).

I have been reading a little more about adoption in Haiti. It is one of the least expensive countries in the world to adopt from. The need is very great. In Haiti, one in every ten children does not live to see their 4th birthday. The process looks pretty easy. Singles are allowed to adopt. You only need to be 30 years old. Haiti is only 2 hours away from Miami so the flight isn't too bad. You don't need to stay in the country long (only a few days). And best of all are the kids. They are beautiful children! Just look at this sweet 2 year old born on Sept 19Th (my dads birthday). Man she is so sweet!!! I could just eat her up! Look at that smile!!! Oh, if only I could get Juergen to say yes, just one more time! Here is her information.