Horse Show Today

We were out at the barn this morning at 9:00am for Morgan's horse show.  She stayed with her instructor last night out at the farm along with 5 other girls that were riding today.  Thank goodness her instructor is so kind, otherwise I would have had to have her out there at 7:30 am to warm up and do schooling.  Thanks Lori, you are so good to us!  Morgan had a great time with the other girls.  I dropped her off yesterday afternoon around 4:00 pm and they rode some and then prepared for the next day by cleaning tack and making sure everything was in order.  She said they were working until midnight.  But she loves it and wouldn't want to be anywhere else.  We arrived around 8:45 this morning and picked out our seats for the day.  The little ones did great.  They ran around and played and had a big time.  They really love to be outside in the wide open spaces.  They also loved getting on one of the horses and riding around a bit.  Lily has always been hesitant about getting on one of the horses, but today she requested a ride.  So we did!!  Liam was right in there too.  No fear from this little guy.  He hoped right up there and screamed when I made him get off.  Looks like we might have another rider in our future. 
Morgan was frustrated with her riding today.  She did so well in her first show and so today was disappointing.  I am so proud of her for hanging in there and pushing through to the end and not giving up.  She rode in almost every event.  She had about an hour break in the middle of the day, but other than that she was on that pony from 7:30 am until 2:30 pm.  We headed out around 3:00.  The little ones were asleep as soon as they hit their carseats.
Fred headed up to Conneticut yesterday afternoon to visit with his nephew who was just diagnosed with Leukemia.  He is 7 years old and will be in the hospital for the next month receiving treatment.  After that he will have to continue treatments for another 3 years.  I sent about 85 cards with him that I had asked friends and family to make for Israel.  Fred said that he was very suprised and loved looking at each and everyone of them.  Thanks to all of you who participated....your the best!
Here are some pictures from our day....

And I can't leave this one out because it is so typical of the two of them...check out those expressions!

Special Prayer Request

I just received this prayer request through my adoption Yahoo group.  This is a family that was in our travel group when we brought Liam home.  Please lift this family up in your prayers.  This little girl would light up a room when she entered it....so sweet and such a beautiful girl.  It saddens my heart so much to hear about her condition.  I know however that God will protect her and hold her tight.  He has gone before her and knows the outcome already.  We must trust in His goodness and sovereignty.  He loves this little girl more than we could ever imagine.  Please pray also for peace, strength, wisdom and clarity for Melissa.  I can only imagine how much her heart is burdened right now. Thanks!Melissa's email:
I just got home January 22nd with our new daughter. She had a need we were not expecting. She has a very large mass under her scalp that has eaten through parts of her skull and is pressing on her brain. I left again with her on the 9th of February for an MRI and a biopsy. We were told this week it is a very aggressive malignancy. We are so very heartbroken for our sweet girl. I am leaving once again tomorrow with Emme and she will have surgery Monday morning. Please pray for our girl. And pray for her Mommy and family. I don't even feel like I had a chance to get over my jet lag and am so sad to leave my family again. We have to travel quite a ways for good medical care. She is adjusting so well and is so very smart and sweet! I hate that she has to go through all of this. She is saying some sentences in English now and is amazing! I will do my best to update our blog. Congratulations on all of those getting good news the last two weeks and getting so much closer to your children!
Melissa
www.oneblessedlittlenest.blogspot.com

It seems like forever....

...but we have only been home 1 month. It is truly divine intervention when your little one adjusts so well to his family. I owe so much to the fabulous enviroment he was raised in prior to coming home. He knew what it felt like for his needs to be met and he learned how to love. Thank you Shanghai Baby Home for loving our little boy so well!
Liam is our first child who.....
*climbed out of his crib
*gets into everything
*dumbs his food on the floor and then stomps on it (I think this happens everyday!)
*I can tell him "no" 1,000 times a day and he still doesn't "get it"
*goes to sleep by himself and loves to sleep
* IS THE HAPPIEST BOY I KNOW!!!!
I took Liam and Lily outside today and got a few pictures of them. It is another beautiful day with temperatures in the 70's. These two are definatley two peas in a pod. You will never see one without the other not being far behind.

Icecream = SMILES

And yes, they were stripped down before eating! Makes for easier clean up...

Me & My Sweetie

Happy Valentine's Day

The day started out with these for me...

And these for Morgan...

And of course chocolates for all the kids. Morgan made these for her class...

And of course Lily enjoyed licking the icing...

And Liam enjoyed watching them cook...

I can't wait for my date night tonight with my sweetie. (new babysitter..so pray please for the little ones) First time in a long time since we have been out on Valentine's Day! I have a little something special for him to open at dinner. Will have to share tomorrow...dont' want to give it away if he read this post today.
Liam had his first gymnastics class today. He did well. Lily has become so independant, so it makes it easier to focus on him. I am sorry proud of my little girl!!! She is growing up right before my eyes.

Thanks Pinterest!

I was trying to come up with something different to do for the kids in Mason's class this year for Valentine's Day. I was tired of the same old, same old. So, in an attempt to do something creative I differed to Pinterest. I love this website! The kids love how these turned out. They taste good and they are perfect for Valentine's Day.
So you go from this:

And this:

To this:

And this:

Liam's Doctor's Appointment

On Tuesday, we had Liam's first doctor's appointment. He really did quite well (considering taking 5 vials of blood) and all the nurses were talking about just how cute he is. That's my boy, such a cutie pie. Anyway, we discussed Liam's two medical issues briefly...his kidneys and megacolon/Hirschsprungs disease. He is going to refer him to a specialist for both...urologist for his kidneys so we can find out if there was/is any kidney damage and what exactly they did in China when he had surgery and a GI doctor for the megacolon/hirschsprugs disease. When Liam was in China they did a biopsy of this colon and the test came back positive for hirschsprugs disease. Our doctor said that if that is true then he must have a very mild case since he is having regular/normal bowel movements. But we still want to check it out and find out all we can about this little boy! So, he will have to follow up the the urologist, GI doctor, an ENT and an ophthalmologist. The last two are just prodical...we did the same with Lily. For now we are collecting our stool stamples and will go back on Friday for them to see if he had any reaction to the TB test (also prodical to be redone once home). His doctor was very happy with his growth and overall physical condition. Liam currently comes in at 27.8 lbs (49%), 35" tall (76%), and head circumference of 46.5 cm (8%).
We had our first (1 month) home study last night. I can't believe the new regulations for home studies with China now. This will be drawn out for 5 years now...crazy. With the new changes, our home study agency will not be completing anymore home studies for China. Just too much work for a small agency. They will however continue with the ones that are currently in place, thank goodness! We have been with the same social worker since 2007 when we started Lily's adoption. We have been blessed to have her.
Everything else is going well and we are settling into our new normal.

Superbowl in the hot tub

Just doing life

Not much going on around here. Just doing life as we know it now with our newest addition. He puts a whole new twist on "doing life". Our days are much more uneventful and we stay around the house more than before. We did have Lily's follow up this week with her surgeon. We waited an hour and a half to been seen, so a 10:30 appointment turned into a 12:00 appointment. Lily and Liam were tired and hungry by then and more than ready to go. Another month of tubes. Her scar is still raised so the doctor said to try to keep her away from sugar as much possible. Should help with the healing process. Do you think I should have told him about the 5 lb bag of gummy bears she ate in China?!?!? I think NOT!
The two little ones are learning to appreciate one another and it is so much fun to watch. They are playing better together and are always together. Where one goes the other follows. Lily always wants to know where her little brother is and Liam loves to do whatever Lily is doing. Believe me it is not always fun and games, they definately have their moments, but over all things are going better than I ever expected. Part of it is just Liam's personality. He is not clingy and plays well independently. This has been a huge blessing.
We had a couple days this week when he wasn't feeling good (cough and runny nose) and I thought he was going to drive me crazy. He doesn't do well when he is not feeling himself. He was very WHINY and wanted to be held all the time (definately not like him)!! This becomes challenging when Lily and Liam feed off each other. One whines and then the other whines..Oh My!!!!! Glad it only lastest a couple days.
Lily is sleeping better. She has slept through the night since Tuesday night. So, all the kids are sleeping through the night and life is good.
Here are some pictures from this week. We had wonderful weather this week with temperatures in the high 60's and low 70's.
Gotta have some blanket rides..

Then the little ones try to pull Mason - didn't happen..

Then for some bubbles outside..

Then last but not least. The little ones in the cutest shirts ever..