Ahhh...Spring

I'm glad it is spring time here in Virginia.  Our "winter" doesn't really hit us until late January, February, or even March.  And when it does...it is beautiful.  And this year it was a lot.  

There is just something about going down a snow-covered slide...

Usually, we get snow, it warms up to the 40's, and it is gone the next day.  That wasn't the case this year.  It hung around a long time.  Parking lots had piles of snow for a couple of weeks.  Then it snowed again.  And again.

It stayed cold long enough to make tunnels, sled, and burst a water pipe in our house.

Moxie LOVED chasing the girls when they went sledding.  The girls, on the other hand, weren't too thrilled with her interventions.

As much fun as they had, they enjoyed riding their bikes and scooters today... wearing shorts...in 70 degree temperatures.  Good-bye Winter, hello Spring!

Warmth

When I was very young, our family lived in an apartment in the suburbs of a large city.  At age 10, we moved to the very mountainous area of West Virginia.  We had no air conditioning (except my parents' bedroom).  The only heat, came from a large wood-burning stove or fireplaces.  I always loved the smell of the early morning fire mom or dad would start before all of us got out of bed.  Seth and Tia heat their home with just a wood-burning stove.  So, it is no surprise, they come over often to gather up some wood.

Saturday was a beautiful day for it.

We have quite a few trees to spare. 

 Learning how to swing that ax

Guys love their tools.

Mike finally replaced the truck that Seth totaled in 2012 when the drunk driver hit him.

Me and my girls (minus 1 girl).  Why does Ivy look so tall? 

I didn't swing an ax, or load wood.  I just fed the crew.  

It's Been A While

Life has been happening.  I rarely get the camera out because I am just busy with the family.  But I did pull some pictures off the camera from Christmas.  Nothing too exciting.

                        Before Eva's concert.

I'm still in awe at times that this girl, Eva, is my daughter.  She started our adoption journey and she is am amazing girl.  Every now and then I look at her (Ivy and Joy, too) and think, "Wow.  I'm her mom."  I don't really think about the fact that she is Chinese and I am not.  But, sometimes this whole adoption journey is overwhelming when I consider my life 20 years ago and compare it to now.  It has been an amazing journey, traveling on the other side of the globe to bring our daughters home.

Ivy and my mom

The girls finally got a checkers game for Christmas (thanks Grandma).  My mom loves to play them.  I am not a checkers or chess player.  I'm glad they have each other to play with.

Joy got new roller blades for Christmas.  And, I just found out that she won't use them because she likes them too much and doesn't want them to get dirty.  That makes no sense to me.  Apparently, she has been doing the same thing with the new socks and underwear I bought her.  She continues wearing the ones with holes in them because she likes the new ones too much to dirty them.  Does anyone else's kids do this?  Sheesh.

Jack with bedhead

Mike and I went out on a limb and bought Jack a zippered hoodie from EB.  Jack has not had a coat/jacket since he was 8.  He has refused to wear one, preferring only pullover hoodies.  When he was about 8, he would just put on 2-3 sweatshirts when he went outside to play in the winter.  He hasn't changed.  He still refuses to wear a coat.  Boys.

Tia, Seth, and Joy

I cannot imagine being bald in the winter time.  But, I guess Seth doesn't mind it.  It usually doesn't get too cold here in Virginia.  It stays in the 30-40 degree range.  This week it was 60 degrees for a few days.  Very pleasant.

I'm hoping to finally get some wedding pictures soon.  Well, as soon as Jordan sends them....

School Break

Finally, this week, we have nothing on our schedule except for Christmas.  Last week was full of errands, doctor visits, and musical performances.  Both Eva and Ivy did a great job.  Sadly, I didn't snap a picture of Ivy before her recital.  But, I did get Eva's first performance photo.

The girls have spent their Christmas break reading a lot of books, doing a little bit of school, and watching some movies.  And, as always, they have been playing outside and taking photos with their "I phone".

Looking to lasso a Scoundrel out on the loose.

Looks like she found one!

The Scoundrel is taken down.

But the Scoundrel has the last laugh when she turns her captor into a miniature and puts her inside of her pocket.

Older Adoption

I think I've posted on this topic before.  Or, maybe I've just thought about it.  But, having 3 adopted children just makes me ponder things a little more.  It has been almost 6 years since I looked at Ivy's picture.  I skipped over it quite a few times because I didn't want a child that much older than Eva and Joy.  But, I kept going back to that adorable face.

I remember Jordan asking me what I was so drawn to.  I couldn't really give her an exact answer.  I was also afraid of committing to an older child and cleft lip issues.  I have an aversion to all things oral.

If you have ever read research on adopting older, you'd probably be terrified of the "what ifs".  I know that I was.  I've even read recommendations of never adopting our of birth order.  Some people have even said to never adopt older children if you have young children in the home.  So, right there were two strikes against the adoption of Ivy.  But, I couldn't bring myself to walk away from this little girl.  Multiple times a day, I would pull up her photo and stare into the dark eyes staring back at me, searching her soul.  In my heart I had a peace.  My mind, though, would tell me other things that I needed to be concerned about.  Before bringing Ivy home, I was mostly concerned about her adjustment into our family.  But, what I've come to realize is that, for me, I should have been more concerned with how I would adjust to her.  I know this isn't the case for everyone, but I had (still do) some selfishness to deal with.  I spent more time preparing myself for issues that Ivy could possibly have and not preparing for my own issues.  It was definitely an eye opener.  God used this sweet child to show me the yuck in my heart.  It is a humbling experience.

As for Ivy....she is mostly what my heart told me she was.  She is sweet, kind, quiet, and very, very tender-hearted.  She has been home almost 5 years.  She loves having a family.  She loves her mom and dad.  She makes cards and leaves notes for us.  I found this one on my pillow last month.

She wrote this shortly after she was worried about a situation she was experiencing.  She cried with her head on my shoulder while I tried my best to guide and reassure her.  It is not easy for Ivy to come to her parents when something is bothering her.  I believe that to be a learned orphanage behavior that is difficult to overcome.  I know with time, comfort, and a lot of prayers, she will overcome her fears.  God is our Healer.  Ivy loves her God.  She seems to be quite resilient, and doesn't easily give up.

  

Had I known the joys of adopting older, maybe we wouldn't have waited until we were so old to adopt.  But, I can't second guess God's timing  His time is the best time.  I am so thankful He used our family to change the lives of 3 little orphaned girls.

Six Months in the Life of an Iphone

I love my children.  I love their unbearable, quirky, lovable, mind-numbing, unique ways.  I love to watch them when they are unaware.  I love watching them grow into the person they will become.  So, to gain access into their (my girls) ways, I check their Iphone.  No, they don't really have an Iphone.  They have a hand-me-down phone from a big brother who was ripped off from a "friend", rendering the phone useless to everyone except my daughters.  So, the girls love taking pictures and videos of their life.  This is a small sample of their collection.

That one looks painful.  I wonder what they were thinking as they drew it on the driveway.

I'm so glad my girls have each other.  They are always together.