Jesi: "I'm so excited to be 16!" Christi: "Why?" Jesi: "Cuz then I get my own phone and my own car!!!" Christi: "Who told you that?" Jess: "I just know cuz I'm smart;)" Think she may be trouble someday?
Jer
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Play's the Thing!
Tonight, Christi, my dad and I went to Graci's 5th grade play. It followed some students in a history class that were able to go back in time to observe several important events in American history. These ranged from the Pilgrims to Rosa Parks. Graci had two very small speaking parts. For each part, the student's name was listed next to the part they played. For one of her parts, Graci was listed as follows:
White Woman 1 - Graci Green
Does anyone else see the irony in this?:):):):)
Jeremy
White Woman 1 - Graci Green
Does anyone else see the irony in this?:):):):)
Jeremy
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Get a free Perplexus!
We're giving away five Perplexus toys! Just leave a comment if you'd like one, and we'll randomly select five lucky people! We'll post the winners on June 1!
--Christianne
--Christianne
Why we love Jesi
As we were planting our vegetable garden, Jessica asked why there were worms in the soil. I told her how worms helped our garden and that we should be thankful for them. Later that day, I found this taped to the fence next to the garden:
The other night as Grandpa was tucking her in (he's been here visiting for awhile), she said, "Grandpa, I'm going to pray that you will die tomorrow so you can go and see Heavenly Father and Jesus!" (Grandpa told her to hold her horses.) :)
Jessica has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger! Here are some pics of the two of them at the zoo on her kindergarten fieldtrip:
And here is a very happy Jesi with her t-ball coach!! She actually doesn't play, but when Xander had a party at the same time as one of his games, Jeremy thought Jesi would have fun taking his place.
Trying to look tough:
We love you, Jes!
The other night as Grandpa was tucking her in (he's been here visiting for awhile), she said, "Grandpa, I'm going to pray that you will die tomorrow so you can go and see Heavenly Father and Jesus!" (Grandpa told her to hold her horses.) :)
Jessica has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger! Here are some pics of the two of them at the zoo on her kindergarten fieldtrip:
And here is a very happy Jesi with her t-ball coach!! She actually doesn't play, but when Xander had a party at the same time as one of his games, Jeremy thought Jesi would have fun taking his place.
Trying to look tough:
We love you, Jes!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Perplexus!
First of all, if you haven't read about Graci's wish, be sure to scroll down and do so!
Now... This will seem so random and out of the blue, but it is something we have been working on for a long time! We are so excited to share with you a new project of ours! By clicking HERE or on the "Buy a toy, bless a life" picture on your left, you can read about what we have been up to! To put it in few words, if you purchase a Perplexus toy through this website, $3.00 will be split between two of our favorite organizations, "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" and "Chinese Children Charity Fund." We hope that you will feel free to put the button on your own blogs and help us generate traffic. (: This is a toy that you can buy at Target and ToysRUs, etc. but only by buying through this link will you be donating to these wonderful charities. Plus, you will be helping us raise money for the adoption of our little Lexi!!
Let me put in a shameless plug for this toy! It is fabulous. Really, it is! It has no batteries and no small parts-- just throw it in the car and your children will be completely entertained, unless they are fighting over who gets it next. In that case, buy more than one! (: All ages love it-- including adults.
We so hope to make a sizeable donation to these charities-- thank-you for your help!!
--Christianne
PS. We thought it important to point out that we began this project long before the Make-a-Wish Foundation came into our lives. We obviously now have a very special place in our lives for Make-a-Wish and hope to incorporate it into our charity page at some point in the future. It is actually way more complicated than you would think to do so, or we would do it right away. We love you, Make-a-Wish!
Now... This will seem so random and out of the blue, but it is something we have been working on for a long time! We are so excited to share with you a new project of ours! By clicking HERE or on the "Buy a toy, bless a life" picture on your left, you can read about what we have been up to! To put it in few words, if you purchase a Perplexus toy through this website, $3.00 will be split between two of our favorite organizations, "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" and "Chinese Children Charity Fund." We hope that you will feel free to put the button on your own blogs and help us generate traffic. (: This is a toy that you can buy at Target and ToysRUs, etc. but only by buying through this link will you be donating to these wonderful charities. Plus, you will be helping us raise money for the adoption of our little Lexi!!
Let me put in a shameless plug for this toy! It is fabulous. Really, it is! It has no batteries and no small parts-- just throw it in the car and your children will be completely entertained, unless they are fighting over who gets it next. In that case, buy more than one! (: All ages love it-- including adults.
We so hope to make a sizeable donation to these charities-- thank-you for your help!!
--Christianne
PS. We thought it important to point out that we began this project long before the Make-a-Wish Foundation came into our lives. We obviously now have a very special place in our lives for Make-a-Wish and hope to incorporate it into our charity page at some point in the future. It is actually way more complicated than you would think to do so, or we would do it right away. We love you, Make-a-Wish!
All about the wish...
While no parent wants their child to qualify for Make-a-Wish, it is an experience that I wish every child could have! It has sparked something in Graci that is so wonderful. Just few weeks ago it was, “Why does everything bad happen to me? Why does my heart have to be broken? Why do my legs not work right? Why do I have to wear oxygen all the time? Why has my life been so hard?” Last night as we were pulling into the driveway after her wish, she said, “Mommy, sometimes you know how I wish I had different challenges? Like it would be so nice to be Jesi or Xander and have their challenges? And then sometimes you are glad you have your challenges because Heavenly Father knows what you need? I think my challenges are perfect for me.”
That is what Make-a-Wish has done for her.
I promised Grace that I would write about everything that happened last night—so here is my best shot:
The afternoon got off to a tough start. I had Graci come to the computer and look at some of the wishes other children had made, hoping to spark some ideas. There was one girl who had wished for an outdoor princess playhouse. It was pink and complete with bay windows and a loft and everything—and was super cute. She fell in love. Unfortunately, Jeremy and I both agreed that it just wouldn’t fit in our yard. At all. Graci was fighting tears as we explained this. However, Daddy got a smile out of her when he promised that if we ever move to a bigger property and there is any possible way he could afford it, he would build her a playhouse. So before long she was back to her happy wishing self, though she still couldn’t decide on any one thing.
Soon, a very excited Graci was getting dressed in the outfit she has had planned for weeks! It was so cute that she cared so much about what she wore, how her hair looked, etc. We left plenty early to get to the wishing place, and it’s a good thing too! About 10 minutes into our drive, Graci said, “Um, Mom? I think I left my key at home.” I groaned inwardly, did a quick u-turn, and sped back to the house. She ran inside, and came back out empty-handed and sheepish-looking. “Um, Mom? I think it actually was in the van.” “Of course it was, Graci!”
We still made good time and she was giddy as we pulled in. After a few pictures, we went inside and Graci was thrilled to see a star with her name welcoming her!
We met our wonderful wish granters, Kent and Terri, and another sweet woman who works at Make-a-Wish. She explained how MAW began with a 7-year-old boy from Arizona who had cancer and wanted to be a policeman. The highway patrol was notified, and they had a special uniform made for him, picked him up in a helicopter, and allowed him to spend the day as a highway patrolman. The kids were very attentive and loved hearing about it. We were then taken to the wall of wishes, where the children who are currently in the wish process have their photos up. Graci’s will be there soon! At this point, we still didn’t know what Graci was going to wish for, so it was fun to see what other children’s wishes were.
We then went outside to the wish garden. Graci was given a token to toss in the water with a wish. She later told me that her wish was indeed, the Disney cruise. (:
The gardens were absolutely beautiful.
We were then led upstairs to play the wishing game. The kids loved it. Graci kept talking about it on the way home. The purpose of the game was to get her thinking about what she might like to wish for. During the course of the game, everyone had to come up with an answer to “If you could go anywhere… If you could be anything… If you could meet anyone… and If you could have anything.” It was so much fun to get inside everyone’s thoughts!
At the end of the game, the wish granters asked Graci if she had chosen her wish. I seriously had no idea what she was going to say. It has been a different answer almost every time I asked her! Just earlier that day she had said, “a peach tree!” And often she would answer, “more webkinz!” So I was relieved and excited when she very matter-of-factly answered, “A Disney cruise.” I think it fits Graci perfectly! None of us have been on a cruise before, so there will be the magic of doing something totally new. She has always wanted to go to a “warm beach.” The only beach we have taken our children to is the Oregon Coast, where Jer’s family is. We LOVE it there—it is breathtaking—but you can’t exactly spend much time in the frigid water. So the swimming part will be fun. She also LOVES LOVES LOVES to eat (you wouldn’t know from looking at her, but it’s true) and from what I hear, a cruise has PLENTY of food! Also, she likes to be independent, and I think the cruise will allow for some of that.
So… YAY!!! Good job, Grace!! I hope and pray it will be everything you dreamed of.
Her second and third choices were Disneyworld and Atlantis, either of which would be just as magical, I’m sure. She loves all things Disney. On Graci’s adoption day, we climbed into the taxi after signing papers and she immediately asked the guide in Chinese, “Ask them when we’re going to McDonalds and Disneyland!” Apparently, it wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to send pictures to her of our family with Mickey Mouse! She thought that Disneyland was going to be a regular occurrence! She wasn’t very happy to learn she needed to at least wait until her first open heart surgery and then until we could afford it. It was so much fun to finally take her there last year and she LOVED it! I’m sure Disneyworld would be even better. (:
After she made her wish, we were all given a little card to write what our wish for Graci was. We then went to the wishing tower. This is where she had to use her magic key.
In the wishing tower, we were asked to share our wishes for Graci. Jer and I had both wished for her to see President Monson (she later said she was very close to wishing for that), Taylor wished for her to have unlimited webkinz, Parker wished for her to have a shopping spree, Xander wished for her to have a poofy dress (he thought of that on his own—he really must have been paying attention!), and Jesi wished her to have a doll house for her animals and a “slide in our backyard that goes all the way to heaven so she can go up and see Heavenly Father and Jesus and then slide back down to be with us.” How precious is that…
Kent reading his wish for her to get healthy and board the cruise ship wearing the poofiest dress around. Love it.
Graci then followed the magical lights around the room that led her to the top part of the wishing wizard’s hat, where she inserted her wish. The lights then led her back to the hat. She put the top on and the room lit up like a rainbow (her favorite “color”). Magic.
After spending some more time looking at displays with other children’s wishes, we went downstairs to have refreshments. They had balloons and gifts for the children, and a special bag of gifts for Graci.
Graci could NOT stop talking on the ride home. She would be quiet for a few seconds, then say, “Mom, can you believe I got to throw a token in the wishing pond?” or “Mom, wasn’t that nice of Kent to wish I could have a poofy dress on the cruise?” or “Mom, didn’t you just LOVE that game?” She was so lit up. And really, the comment Jeremy already mentioned, about her asking me if I thought she was dreaming, sums up how she felt about the night.
Thank-you, Make-a-Wish!
Someone asked if our children all get to go on the trip. YES. Can you believe that? At a time when we couldn’t possibly afford something like this with the new adoption coming up, we get to go on an all-expenses-paid trip-of-a-lifetime. Our Father in Heaven is truly watching over us and our children.
We are, however, contemplating leaving Elli home with Grandma. We have always taken her with us everywhere, but we’re thinking that it would be a more relaxing and memorable trip for all of us, including Graci, if we didn’t have to worry about her. She can be very difficult in new situations. It’s killing me to consider leaving her, but I think it may be best. Anyone have any thoughts on that? We were so glad to have Jeremy's dad with us yesterday helping out with her so we could focus on Graci...
Oh, and one more thing I just thought to mention. There was a time several months ago where we were blessed with some extra finances. We gathered our older children and told them that we had enough money to go to Disneyland. (Insert huge grins). But we also knew of a family in need of something pretty big. We turned it over to them and they immediately chose helping the family. We were so proud of them and told them that we were sure that Heavenly Father was aware of their sacrifice. Just look at what He has blessed them with. (: (: (:
What a perfect night! I'm not sure how she ever fell asleep...
That is what Make-a-Wish has done for her.
I promised Grace that I would write about everything that happened last night—so here is my best shot:
The afternoon got off to a tough start. I had Graci come to the computer and look at some of the wishes other children had made, hoping to spark some ideas. There was one girl who had wished for an outdoor princess playhouse. It was pink and complete with bay windows and a loft and everything—and was super cute. She fell in love. Unfortunately, Jeremy and I both agreed that it just wouldn’t fit in our yard. At all. Graci was fighting tears as we explained this. However, Daddy got a smile out of her when he promised that if we ever move to a bigger property and there is any possible way he could afford it, he would build her a playhouse. So before long she was back to her happy wishing self, though she still couldn’t decide on any one thing.
Soon, a very excited Graci was getting dressed in the outfit she has had planned for weeks! It was so cute that she cared so much about what she wore, how her hair looked, etc. We left plenty early to get to the wishing place, and it’s a good thing too! About 10 minutes into our drive, Graci said, “Um, Mom? I think I left my key at home.” I groaned inwardly, did a quick u-turn, and sped back to the house. She ran inside, and came back out empty-handed and sheepish-looking. “Um, Mom? I think it actually was in the van.” “Of course it was, Graci!”
We still made good time and she was giddy as we pulled in. After a few pictures, we went inside and Graci was thrilled to see a star with her name welcoming her!
We met our wonderful wish granters, Kent and Terri, and another sweet woman who works at Make-a-Wish. She explained how MAW began with a 7-year-old boy from Arizona who had cancer and wanted to be a policeman. The highway patrol was notified, and they had a special uniform made for him, picked him up in a helicopter, and allowed him to spend the day as a highway patrolman. The kids were very attentive and loved hearing about it. We were then taken to the wall of wishes, where the children who are currently in the wish process have their photos up. Graci’s will be there soon! At this point, we still didn’t know what Graci was going to wish for, so it was fun to see what other children’s wishes were.
We then went outside to the wish garden. Graci was given a token to toss in the water with a wish. She later told me that her wish was indeed, the Disney cruise. (:
The gardens were absolutely beautiful.
We were then led upstairs to play the wishing game. The kids loved it. Graci kept talking about it on the way home. The purpose of the game was to get her thinking about what she might like to wish for. During the course of the game, everyone had to come up with an answer to “If you could go anywhere… If you could be anything… If you could meet anyone… and If you could have anything.” It was so much fun to get inside everyone’s thoughts!
At the end of the game, the wish granters asked Graci if she had chosen her wish. I seriously had no idea what she was going to say. It has been a different answer almost every time I asked her! Just earlier that day she had said, “a peach tree!” And often she would answer, “more webkinz!” So I was relieved and excited when she very matter-of-factly answered, “A Disney cruise.” I think it fits Graci perfectly! None of us have been on a cruise before, so there will be the magic of doing something totally new. She has always wanted to go to a “warm beach.” The only beach we have taken our children to is the Oregon Coast, where Jer’s family is. We LOVE it there—it is breathtaking—but you can’t exactly spend much time in the frigid water. So the swimming part will be fun. She also LOVES LOVES LOVES to eat (you wouldn’t know from looking at her, but it’s true) and from what I hear, a cruise has PLENTY of food! Also, she likes to be independent, and I think the cruise will allow for some of that.
So… YAY!!! Good job, Grace!! I hope and pray it will be everything you dreamed of.
Her second and third choices were Disneyworld and Atlantis, either of which would be just as magical, I’m sure. She loves all things Disney. On Graci’s adoption day, we climbed into the taxi after signing papers and she immediately asked the guide in Chinese, “Ask them when we’re going to McDonalds and Disneyland!” Apparently, it wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to send pictures to her of our family with Mickey Mouse! She thought that Disneyland was going to be a regular occurrence! She wasn’t very happy to learn she needed to at least wait until her first open heart surgery and then until we could afford it. It was so much fun to finally take her there last year and she LOVED it! I’m sure Disneyworld would be even better. (:
After she made her wish, we were all given a little card to write what our wish for Graci was. We then went to the wishing tower. This is where she had to use her magic key.
In the wishing tower, we were asked to share our wishes for Graci. Jer and I had both wished for her to see President Monson (she later said she was very close to wishing for that), Taylor wished for her to have unlimited webkinz, Parker wished for her to have a shopping spree, Xander wished for her to have a poofy dress (he thought of that on his own—he really must have been paying attention!), and Jesi wished her to have a doll house for her animals and a “slide in our backyard that goes all the way to heaven so she can go up and see Heavenly Father and Jesus and then slide back down to be with us.” How precious is that…
Kent reading his wish for her to get healthy and board the cruise ship wearing the poofiest dress around. Love it.
Graci then followed the magical lights around the room that led her to the top part of the wishing wizard’s hat, where she inserted her wish. The lights then led her back to the hat. She put the top on and the room lit up like a rainbow (her favorite “color”). Magic.
After spending some more time looking at displays with other children’s wishes, we went downstairs to have refreshments. They had balloons and gifts for the children, and a special bag of gifts for Graci.
Graci could NOT stop talking on the ride home. She would be quiet for a few seconds, then say, “Mom, can you believe I got to throw a token in the wishing pond?” or “Mom, wasn’t that nice of Kent to wish I could have a poofy dress on the cruise?” or “Mom, didn’t you just LOVE that game?” She was so lit up. And really, the comment Jeremy already mentioned, about her asking me if I thought she was dreaming, sums up how she felt about the night.
Thank-you, Make-a-Wish!
Someone asked if our children all get to go on the trip. YES. Can you believe that? At a time when we couldn’t possibly afford something like this with the new adoption coming up, we get to go on an all-expenses-paid trip-of-a-lifetime. Our Father in Heaven is truly watching over us and our children.
We are, however, contemplating leaving Elli home with Grandma. We have always taken her with us everywhere, but we’re thinking that it would be a more relaxing and memorable trip for all of us, including Graci, if we didn’t have to worry about her. She can be very difficult in new situations. It’s killing me to consider leaving her, but I think it may be best. Anyone have any thoughts on that? We were so glad to have Jeremy's dad with us yesterday helping out with her so we could focus on Graci...
Oh, and one more thing I just thought to mention. There was a time several months ago where we were blessed with some extra finances. We gathered our older children and told them that we had enough money to go to Disneyland. (Insert huge grins). But we also knew of a family in need of something pretty big. We turned it over to them and they immediately chose helping the family. We were so proud of them and told them that we were sure that Heavenly Father was aware of their sacrifice. Just look at what He has blessed them with. (: (: (:
What a perfect night! I'm not sure how she ever fell asleep...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wishes Come True
What a magical evening! Graci's night at the Make-a-Wish foundation was truly amazing. Christi, myself, and my dad (who just happened to be in town) all found ourselves getting choked up at various times. This is a top-notch organzation, with people who are unbelieveable.
We are exhausted tonight, but will blog more tomorrow. For now, here's a picture of the princess herself:)
Her wish was for a Disney Cruise!!! How fun is that???
As she was getting ready for bed tonight, Graci very sincerely asked Christi, "Mom, do you think I'm dreaming?" No, little angel, you are not.
Jer
We are exhausted tonight, but will blog more tomorrow. For now, here's a picture of the princess herself:)
Her wish was for a Disney Cruise!!! How fun is that???
As she was getting ready for bed tonight, Graci very sincerely asked Christi, "Mom, do you think I'm dreaming?" No, little angel, you are not.
Jer
Wish Day!
Tonight at 7:00 p.m., Graci and our family will travel to the wishing place and declare her wish! She has been counting down the days and is full of excitement. We are still unsure of what her wish will be. She goes from a Disney Cruise to poofy dresses to Chinese tutoring to Disneyworld to a shopping spree to meeting this man:
It touched me that when we talked to Grace about the many people she could wish to meet-- Hannah Montana, Taylor Swift, etc-- that she, on her own, came up with him-- a humble apostle and prophet of the Lord. We love our Graci Kate!
We are so excited to see what tonight brings. I have felt so overwhelmed by the blessings that Make-a-Wish has already brought our family-- the blessings of smiles, magic, gratitude, excitement! What a marvelous organization!
--Christianne
It touched me that when we talked to Grace about the many people she could wish to meet-- Hannah Montana, Taylor Swift, etc-- that she, on her own, came up with him-- a humble apostle and prophet of the Lord. We love our Graci Kate!
We are so excited to see what tonight brings. I have felt so overwhelmed by the blessings that Make-a-Wish has already brought our family-- the blessings of smiles, magic, gratitude, excitement! What a marvelous organization!
--Christianne
Monday, May 17, 2010
Entries from the kids...
Well, I guess all we figured out from our cereal poll is that half of you are crazy like Jeremy and don't put sugar on your Wheaties. (:
Tonight for our Family Home Evening lesson we talked about the importance of keeping journals. We talked about how our blog is a family journal, and told the kids that they could write in it whenever they wanted. They each wanted a turn tonight, so I sat down and typed verbatim what they wanted to say:
I love Grandpa Nelson very much. Wednesday me and Graci are going to the wishing place. Today I went to the zoo for a field trip. I saw tigers! My daddy came with me. I had fun. For my lunch I had a peanut butter sandwich, cheetohs, white donuts, carrots, and flavored water. I like Grandpa Green so much. Let’s see. Um… I would like to go to Disneyland. I like to go to China too. My teacher’s name is Mrs. Proud. She likes green. Mrs. Proud is 282 nice! That’s how nice she is! I like flowers. And that’s all. –Jessica (age 6)
I like Grandma so much and I like Grandma give me treats and I like Grandma give me hugs. And, let’s see… I like Grandpa so so much. I like Daddy so much! And I like my sisters so much too. And I like my brothers. I like my Mommy. I like my friends really much. I like to color. I like to write names. And I like food like carrots and pizza and ice cream. I feel about America so so much. And I like my family so much because I was China and I miss new family and then my new family come China and now I happy. I like to play and I like to sleep with my brothers. And I like Jesus really much and I like Jesus so much and that’s all. –Xander (age 5)
At the beginning of my baseball year I was doing really good at hitting. Then after the first three games I went into a hitting slump. For awhile I just couldn’t hit. I felt really down and upset that I couldn’t hit the ball. Finally, after awhile, I started praying to get a hit. Then the next game I went crazy, hitting three balls in a row and two triples! It was awesome! I know that prayer works and I am thankful that I know about it. I only have eleven more actual school days until school gets out. The last day of school is June 4. I’m so excited to be a fifth grader. I made piñatas today and it was very very very very very very sticky. I’m excited that the end of the school year is coming up. Some of my favorite things right now are watching and playing sports, math, school, spending time with my family, and READING. I love my family so much. – Taylor (age 10)
I was going to do a cooking class and my mommy was searching for one but she couldn’t find it so my mommy said she would teach one. I got to choose five friends and I choose Alli, Brynn, Daisy, Kara, and Jaylynn. Jesi get to come too. Then the first day we did all recipes that had eggs in it. We did crepes, omelets, sunshine toast, and German pancakes. Omelets was my favorite. Now I cook lots of omelets. The second time we did all peanut butter. We made muddy buddies, scotcheroos, and six different healthy peanut butter snacks. By the time when we leave we all peanut-butter out! The third class we did easy dinners. We made walking tacos, spaghetti muffins, BBQ chicken pizza, and taco soup. My favorite was the pizza with the bacon on it. The fourth day, which is today, we did fruit dip. And that was so good! We made nine different fruit dips and dipped strawberries, bananas and apples in them and it was good. Next cooking class we’re doing Chinese food. I’m so happy because I’m from China and Chinese food one of my favorite food. Everybody love cooking class! Everytime when it is Monday I get so excited about it because it was cooking class! PS. Sometimes I like to ask my mom before cooking class what we’re cooking for that day. The end. Love Graci. – Graci (age 11)
Baseball has been really fun this year. I have the best coach in the whole world. That’s you, Dad! My positions are third base, pitcher and catcher. Our team is the Angels. Our record is five and five. Our team goal is to finish first, second, or third. I don’t think we’ll make it to first, but I know we’re going to make it to second. I am so excited to adopt little Lexi. She is the cutest little girl I have ever seen besides my other sisters. I’m also so happy for Graci because she gets to make a wish. I love every member in our family so much. Xander has the cutest smile I have ever seen! Elli just has the most beautiful voice. Jessica is the best little sister a boy could have. Taylor is the best friend in the world. And Graci is so sweet and kind. Mom helps so much with our family and I just love her a lot. And Dad—he spends a lot of time with his kids and coaches us. – Parker (age 9)
Tonight for our Family Home Evening lesson we talked about the importance of keeping journals. We talked about how our blog is a family journal, and told the kids that they could write in it whenever they wanted. They each wanted a turn tonight, so I sat down and typed verbatim what they wanted to say:
I love Grandpa Nelson very much. Wednesday me and Graci are going to the wishing place. Today I went to the zoo for a field trip. I saw tigers! My daddy came with me. I had fun. For my lunch I had a peanut butter sandwich, cheetohs, white donuts, carrots, and flavored water. I like Grandpa Green so much. Let’s see. Um… I would like to go to Disneyland. I like to go to China too. My teacher’s name is Mrs. Proud. She likes green. Mrs. Proud is 282 nice! That’s how nice she is! I like flowers. And that’s all. –Jessica (age 6)
I like Grandma so much and I like Grandma give me treats and I like Grandma give me hugs. And, let’s see… I like Grandpa so so much. I like Daddy so much! And I like my sisters so much too. And I like my brothers. I like my Mommy. I like my friends really much. I like to color. I like to write names. And I like food like carrots and pizza and ice cream. I feel about America so so much. And I like my family so much because I was China and I miss new family and then my new family come China and now I happy. I like to play and I like to sleep with my brothers. And I like Jesus really much and I like Jesus so much and that’s all. –Xander (age 5)
At the beginning of my baseball year I was doing really good at hitting. Then after the first three games I went into a hitting slump. For awhile I just couldn’t hit. I felt really down and upset that I couldn’t hit the ball. Finally, after awhile, I started praying to get a hit. Then the next game I went crazy, hitting three balls in a row and two triples! It was awesome! I know that prayer works and I am thankful that I know about it. I only have eleven more actual school days until school gets out. The last day of school is June 4. I’m so excited to be a fifth grader. I made piñatas today and it was very very very very very very sticky. I’m excited that the end of the school year is coming up. Some of my favorite things right now are watching and playing sports, math, school, spending time with my family, and READING. I love my family so much. – Taylor (age 10)
I was going to do a cooking class and my mommy was searching for one but she couldn’t find it so my mommy said she would teach one. I got to choose five friends and I choose Alli, Brynn, Daisy, Kara, and Jaylynn. Jesi get to come too. Then the first day we did all recipes that had eggs in it. We did crepes, omelets, sunshine toast, and German pancakes. Omelets was my favorite. Now I cook lots of omelets. The second time we did all peanut butter. We made muddy buddies, scotcheroos, and six different healthy peanut butter snacks. By the time when we leave we all peanut-butter out! The third class we did easy dinners. We made walking tacos, spaghetti muffins, BBQ chicken pizza, and taco soup. My favorite was the pizza with the bacon on it. The fourth day, which is today, we did fruit dip. And that was so good! We made nine different fruit dips and dipped strawberries, bananas and apples in them and it was good. Next cooking class we’re doing Chinese food. I’m so happy because I’m from China and Chinese food one of my favorite food. Everybody love cooking class! Everytime when it is Monday I get so excited about it because it was cooking class! PS. Sometimes I like to ask my mom before cooking class what we’re cooking for that day. The end. Love Graci. – Graci (age 11)
Baseball has been really fun this year. I have the best coach in the whole world. That’s you, Dad! My positions are third base, pitcher and catcher. Our team is the Angels. Our record is five and five. Our team goal is to finish first, second, or third. I don’t think we’ll make it to first, but I know we’re going to make it to second. I am so excited to adopt little Lexi. She is the cutest little girl I have ever seen besides my other sisters. I’m also so happy for Graci because she gets to make a wish. I love every member in our family so much. Xander has the cutest smile I have ever seen! Elli just has the most beautiful voice. Jessica is the best little sister a boy could have. Taylor is the best friend in the world. And Graci is so sweet and kind. Mom helps so much with our family and I just love her a lot. And Dad—he spends a lot of time with his kids and coaches us. – Parker (age 9)
Friday, May 14, 2010
Would you kindly weigh in...
We need helping settling an all-so-important debate. Do you put sugar on your Wheaties??
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Lexi Live!!
We've had these videos for awhile, but I was overwhelmed at figuring out how to post them. Today I decided to bite the bullet and figure it out! Enjoy our little Alexis. Doesn't her smile light up the screen?!!!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A few things...
First of all, Graci received a very special package in the mail! In it was a paper castle with a key and an invitation inside. She is to bring the key with her to the wishing tower next Wednesday evening for her very special night of wishing!! I can’t even tell you the magic it has brought to our home. We are overwhelmed with the generosity of the Make a Wish Foundation and all those who donate and volunteer. We received a phone call tonight from one of her two wish granters. He sounded like a great guy and told us that Graci is his first wish child and he plans on making it as magical as he can for her! I was choked up the whole time I talked to him. We are so so grateful.
Also, today we received an update on little Lexi!! She is doing great. She can count to fifty, is potty trained, lives in a foster home, is outgoing, and sings along with the television shows. They call her “You You” (pronounced yo-yo). We are so anxious to get her home! She is always smiling so sweetly in her pictures. Her hair is starting to grow out, as you can see. What a little sweetheart!
Parker has been complaining of a sore throat today. I got a flashlight out to check to see if it was red, and this is what I found.
I just knew you wanted to see that! If you can’t tell, there is a pocket of bright white infection in the back that looks quite hideous. Everyone was fascinated by it. He’ll definitely be going to the doctor tomorrow…
And finally, Mother’s Day letters from my two oldest:
“Dear Mom,
I love you. Happy Mother’s Day. You are the best. Thanks for webkinz. You make best food. Thanks for make my hair look pretty. Thanks for taking care of me. Thanks for help me with my reports. I love you. I love how you are nice.
‘Mom you are fun
you are like the sun
you are nice
and I like your rice.'
Love,
Graci”
I had to giggle at the poem (:
“Dear Mom,
Thanks for cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, tending kids while we’re at our games, helping with homework, reminding us to do things, being patient, spending individual time with the kids and helping us to look at other people’s perspective. Thank you so much for all you do for me.
Sincerely and love,
Taylor”
Love that kid!
I also received numerous pictures and cards, breakfast in bed, and lots of hugs and kisses. What more could a mother ask for??? Flowers, of course—and I got LOTS of them! On Saturday, Jeremy took all the kids to Home Depot and they each picked out their favorite flowers, which were then planted in our flower garden. They are absolutely beautiful. I am spoiled!! I have the most precious children in the whole world. And a pretty good husband, too!
I also wanted to take the opportunity to say what a perfect mother I have. She has been an amazing example to me in every way. I have never heard her raise her voice or speak ill of anyone. She is the most kind-hearted, sweet, talented, Christ-like person I know. As Abraham Lincoln said, “All that I am, or ever will be, I owe to my angel mother.”
Also, today we received an update on little Lexi!! She is doing great. She can count to fifty, is potty trained, lives in a foster home, is outgoing, and sings along with the television shows. They call her “You You” (pronounced yo-yo). We are so anxious to get her home! She is always smiling so sweetly in her pictures. Her hair is starting to grow out, as you can see. What a little sweetheart!
Parker has been complaining of a sore throat today. I got a flashlight out to check to see if it was red, and this is what I found.
I just knew you wanted to see that! If you can’t tell, there is a pocket of bright white infection in the back that looks quite hideous. Everyone was fascinated by it. He’ll definitely be going to the doctor tomorrow…
And finally, Mother’s Day letters from my two oldest:
“Dear Mom,
I love you. Happy Mother’s Day. You are the best. Thanks for webkinz. You make best food. Thanks for make my hair look pretty. Thanks for taking care of me. Thanks for help me with my reports. I love you. I love how you are nice.
‘Mom you are fun
you are like the sun
you are nice
and I like your rice.'
Love,
Graci”
I had to giggle at the poem (:
“Dear Mom,
Thanks for cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, tending kids while we’re at our games, helping with homework, reminding us to do things, being patient, spending individual time with the kids and helping us to look at other people’s perspective. Thank you so much for all you do for me.
Sincerely and love,
Taylor”
Love that kid!
I also received numerous pictures and cards, breakfast in bed, and lots of hugs and kisses. What more could a mother ask for??? Flowers, of course—and I got LOTS of them! On Saturday, Jeremy took all the kids to Home Depot and they each picked out their favorite flowers, which were then planted in our flower garden. They are absolutely beautiful. I am spoiled!! I have the most precious children in the whole world. And a pretty good husband, too!
I also wanted to take the opportunity to say what a perfect mother I have. She has been an amazing example to me in every way. I have never heard her raise her voice or speak ill of anyone. She is the most kind-hearted, sweet, talented, Christ-like person I know. As Abraham Lincoln said, “All that I am, or ever will be, I owe to my angel mother.”
Monday, May 10, 2010
Melt my heart...
I was driving with Xander today, and out of the blue he exclaimed, "Mommy, I'm so happy!" I said, "Good!! Why are you so happy?" He replied, "Be-be-because (he stutters-- so cute!) we're going to adopt Lexi, and then she will have a family and be so happy like me!"
We love that little guy! (:
By the way, Parker found TWO ladybugs on Saturday!! What do you think followed in the mail?? Our I797-- the last document needed for our adoption--- WOO-HOO! Today I dropped all of our documents off at the State Capitol for certification. The next step is to have them authenticated in DC by the Department of State and the Chinese Embassy. Then they will be sent to our agency for review and translation, and finally off to China. What does that all mean?? We're still on target to get our Alexis around November. (:(:(:
--Christianne
We love that little guy! (:
By the way, Parker found TWO ladybugs on Saturday!! What do you think followed in the mail?? Our I797-- the last document needed for our adoption--- WOO-HOO! Today I dropped all of our documents off at the State Capitol for certification. The next step is to have them authenticated in DC by the Department of State and the Chinese Embassy. Then they will be sent to our agency for review and translation, and finally off to China. What does that all mean?? We're still on target to get our Alexis around November. (:(:(:
--Christianne
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Advice for New Mothers...
Two beautiful new babies. Brynlee and Benjamin, were just born into our extended family. I wasn’t able to attend the baby showers for the two “B’s,” but just getting the invitations had me reminiscing about my own baby showers. The thing I liked best (well, besides the gifts, of course) was reading the little note cards where people had written their advice on motherhood. I don’t know if they did that at these two showers, but just in case, I thought I’d share my thoughts here! (:
(These are totally random thoughts)
1. You don’t always have to wash the binky. I know germophobics are now squirming in their chairs, but trust me—the child will live! We refer to this phenomenon as “remember the bloody toenail!” When Taylor was just over a year old, he ended up in the doctor’s office for his first stitches. After the stitches were put in place, he was walking up and down the lab while we talked to the doctor. At some point I noticed that Taylor had put something in his mouth. I coaxed it out of him and found it to be none other than… (drum roll) a big, (as in “adult,”) nasty, yellowed, bloodied, WHOLE toenail! (As I’m writing this, I’m wondering for the 100th time why we didn’t sue and get rich from the ordeal!) The doctor promptly grabbed the toenail with a napkin, threw it in the garbage, and rambled something quickly about how because Taylor didn’t have any open sores in his mouth, we didn’t need to get it tested and he should be fine. Uh-huh. HE was fine, but WE were GAGGING! What did we learn from the experience?? He survived the bloody toenail, so surely kids can survive those M & M’s they pick up off the floor of Target or the cookie crumbs eaten off the carpet, or even a binky that has fallen on the floor. We just call out "bloody toenail!" and everything's ok. Oh, and by the way, I was just kidding about suing. I hate when people sue for silly things.
2. If you like to wash the binky, go ahead and disregard #1. Because an even more important thing for a mother to learn is to disregard any advice you don’t like.
3. Speaking of the binky, (or “paci,” as they call it in the south), if you choose to use a binky, try to ignore comments from the anti-binky-police. Using a binky does not make you a bad mother. In fact, it may be the key to getting through a church service without having to leave, dinner at a nice restaurant, or most importantly, a good night’s sleep. And if your child happens to be one of the children that gets super attached to the binky—do not despair. You know your child best and will know when to throw a bye-bye binky party. And you will probably cry right along with your child as you watch their alligator tears when they find the binky is permanently gone. But you will both get through it. And when someone tries to tell you that a binky stunts language development, send them to meet my darling niece Mariah! She was very attached to her binky until she was three and is quite possibly the best conversationalist I know. I could listen to her talk for HOURS! Her little voice is seriously the cutest on the planet.
4. The desitin goes in the wet-wipe container. When my sister Becky taught me this, I thought she was BRILLIANT! I could never find the desitin when I needed it until I learned this trick. Now all you have to do is keep track of the wet wipes!
5. Moving on to when children get older… (cause I’m just typing whatever comes to mind). Color code the towels, and get them a washcloth to match. For instance, Graci gets pink, Taylor-blue, Parker-orange, etc. Tell them you will wash the towels ONCE a week. Tell them if they can’t find THEIR towel, they can use their wash cloth to dry off! Trust me, this will save you loads and loads of towels that were clean enough to be used again, but somehow found their way into the hamper instead.
6. Don’t really follow through on the wash cloth threat. Your children will not find it funny. Give lots of second chances. Which reminds me of…
7. The whole “Love and Logic” has some great principles. (Our school uses it, so I actually read the book.) But sometimes you just have to rely on your parental instinct. For example, Love and Logic would tell you that when your child calls home and tells you in a quivering voice that they forgot their sack lunch, and lunch starts in two minutes you should respond by saying, “so what do you plan to do about that?” Really??? The child is probably already stressed and embarrassed about the forgotten lunch and you are just making it worse. Instead, add an extra treat to the lunch with a little love note on a napkin, and high-tail it up to the school. Your child just might give you a big hug in front of his friends and thank-you again when you pick him up from school. And again when you tuck him in that night. Maybe you aren’t teaching responsibility in the way Love and Logic says, but you are letting him know that when he makes a mistake, he can come to you!
8. Never yell or demean.
9. They will pick up your eating habits, so teach them good things. For example, I hate mayo, so I’ve never put much on my kids’ sandwiches. Now they don’t like it either, which is fine because it’s unhealthy. I’ve never buttered their bread, and now they prefer it plain—which is great! And Taylor thinks he’s going to die if he drinks anything but skim milk.
10. Chocolate in any form is an exception to rule 9. Make sure they love it. I mean, who wants to go through life without chocolate. (Besides my father-in-law, that is).
11. Make up a nickname and use it to tuck them in at night. This one came from Jer’s parents and we love it!!! Every night when we tuck Taylor in, we sing, “Are you my little sunshine?” He sings back, “I’m your little sunshine.” Then, “I love you,” “I love you,” “Goodnight!” “Goodnight.” Parker is punkin’, Jessica/princess, Elli/ladybug, Graci/tiger-blackbird (long story), and Xander/Dang Xu Chu (we kept his Chinese name as his nickname at night). I’m hoping they’ll still do this with us when they’re 18!
12. Read scriptures with your children every single day.
13. When your four-year-old son decides he wants to be a pink Care Bear for Halloween, and you know he will be parading in his costume throughout the high school as part of his preschool party, it is ok to wait until Walmart is all out of pink so you can settle for blue. He will thank you when he’s older.
14. Keep dating your husband.
15. Pray as a family, morning and night.
16. Never buy them soda when you go out to eat. Ok, that was totally random, but hear me out!! If you want to give your kids soda, buy it by the 2-litre and have it at home. Just teach them that when you go out to eat (even at McDonalds) that you just get water. If you start young, they won’t think it’s weird. (I don’t think my kids would even consider asking for anything other than water—unless they’re with Grandpa, of course!) You will be grateful when someday you find yourself with six children and you realize you can save a truckload of money! You will be even more grateful when their almost-full cup spills all over the floor of your car/minivan/12 passenger beast.
17. Let kids who are close in age share their socks and underwear. You may think this is gross, but I promise you, it’s a great system! Just have a sock bin and an underwear bin and you won’t have to remember whose are whose. Incidentally, even Xander shares his socks with the older boys because of his cute, funky little (or not so little) feet! (:
18. You will sleep again.
19. You will not, however, ever look like you did before you pregnant. Oh wait, maybe that's just me and has something to do with #10.
20. Let your children see your face light up when they come into the room. Even if you are not feeling lit up about it inside. (:
I could go on and on, but my bed and cute sleeping husband is calling out to me! I’ll end with the very cliché but very true, “Love every second. They really do grow up too fast!”
Christianne
(These are totally random thoughts)
1. You don’t always have to wash the binky. I know germophobics are now squirming in their chairs, but trust me—the child will live! We refer to this phenomenon as “remember the bloody toenail!” When Taylor was just over a year old, he ended up in the doctor’s office for his first stitches. After the stitches were put in place, he was walking up and down the lab while we talked to the doctor. At some point I noticed that Taylor had put something in his mouth. I coaxed it out of him and found it to be none other than… (drum roll) a big, (as in “adult,”) nasty, yellowed, bloodied, WHOLE toenail! (As I’m writing this, I’m wondering for the 100th time why we didn’t sue and get rich from the ordeal!) The doctor promptly grabbed the toenail with a napkin, threw it in the garbage, and rambled something quickly about how because Taylor didn’t have any open sores in his mouth, we didn’t need to get it tested and he should be fine. Uh-huh. HE was fine, but WE were GAGGING! What did we learn from the experience?? He survived the bloody toenail, so surely kids can survive those M & M’s they pick up off the floor of Target or the cookie crumbs eaten off the carpet, or even a binky that has fallen on the floor. We just call out "bloody toenail!" and everything's ok. Oh, and by the way, I was just kidding about suing. I hate when people sue for silly things.
2. If you like to wash the binky, go ahead and disregard #1. Because an even more important thing for a mother to learn is to disregard any advice you don’t like.
3. Speaking of the binky, (or “paci,” as they call it in the south), if you choose to use a binky, try to ignore comments from the anti-binky-police. Using a binky does not make you a bad mother. In fact, it may be the key to getting through a church service without having to leave, dinner at a nice restaurant, or most importantly, a good night’s sleep. And if your child happens to be one of the children that gets super attached to the binky—do not despair. You know your child best and will know when to throw a bye-bye binky party. And you will probably cry right along with your child as you watch their alligator tears when they find the binky is permanently gone. But you will both get through it. And when someone tries to tell you that a binky stunts language development, send them to meet my darling niece Mariah! She was very attached to her binky until she was three and is quite possibly the best conversationalist I know. I could listen to her talk for HOURS! Her little voice is seriously the cutest on the planet.
4. The desitin goes in the wet-wipe container. When my sister Becky taught me this, I thought she was BRILLIANT! I could never find the desitin when I needed it until I learned this trick. Now all you have to do is keep track of the wet wipes!
5. Moving on to when children get older… (cause I’m just typing whatever comes to mind). Color code the towels, and get them a washcloth to match. For instance, Graci gets pink, Taylor-blue, Parker-orange, etc. Tell them you will wash the towels ONCE a week. Tell them if they can’t find THEIR towel, they can use their wash cloth to dry off! Trust me, this will save you loads and loads of towels that were clean enough to be used again, but somehow found their way into the hamper instead.
6. Don’t really follow through on the wash cloth threat. Your children will not find it funny. Give lots of second chances. Which reminds me of…
7. The whole “Love and Logic” has some great principles. (Our school uses it, so I actually read the book.) But sometimes you just have to rely on your parental instinct. For example, Love and Logic would tell you that when your child calls home and tells you in a quivering voice that they forgot their sack lunch, and lunch starts in two minutes you should respond by saying, “so what do you plan to do about that?” Really??? The child is probably already stressed and embarrassed about the forgotten lunch and you are just making it worse. Instead, add an extra treat to the lunch with a little love note on a napkin, and high-tail it up to the school. Your child just might give you a big hug in front of his friends and thank-you again when you pick him up from school. And again when you tuck him in that night. Maybe you aren’t teaching responsibility in the way Love and Logic says, but you are letting him know that when he makes a mistake, he can come to you!
8. Never yell or demean.
9. They will pick up your eating habits, so teach them good things. For example, I hate mayo, so I’ve never put much on my kids’ sandwiches. Now they don’t like it either, which is fine because it’s unhealthy. I’ve never buttered their bread, and now they prefer it plain—which is great! And Taylor thinks he’s going to die if he drinks anything but skim milk.
10. Chocolate in any form is an exception to rule 9. Make sure they love it. I mean, who wants to go through life without chocolate. (Besides my father-in-law, that is).
11. Make up a nickname and use it to tuck them in at night. This one came from Jer’s parents and we love it!!! Every night when we tuck Taylor in, we sing, “Are you my little sunshine?” He sings back, “I’m your little sunshine.” Then, “I love you,” “I love you,” “Goodnight!” “Goodnight.” Parker is punkin’, Jessica/princess, Elli/ladybug, Graci/tiger-blackbird (long story), and Xander/Dang Xu Chu (we kept his Chinese name as his nickname at night). I’m hoping they’ll still do this with us when they’re 18!
12. Read scriptures with your children every single day.
13. When your four-year-old son decides he wants to be a pink Care Bear for Halloween, and you know he will be parading in his costume throughout the high school as part of his preschool party, it is ok to wait until Walmart is all out of pink so you can settle for blue. He will thank you when he’s older.
14. Keep dating your husband.
15. Pray as a family, morning and night.
16. Never buy them soda when you go out to eat. Ok, that was totally random, but hear me out!! If you want to give your kids soda, buy it by the 2-litre and have it at home. Just teach them that when you go out to eat (even at McDonalds) that you just get water. If you start young, they won’t think it’s weird. (I don’t think my kids would even consider asking for anything other than water—unless they’re with Grandpa, of course!) You will be grateful when someday you find yourself with six children and you realize you can save a truckload of money! You will be even more grateful when their almost-full cup spills all over the floor of your car/minivan/12 passenger beast.
17. Let kids who are close in age share their socks and underwear. You may think this is gross, but I promise you, it’s a great system! Just have a sock bin and an underwear bin and you won’t have to remember whose are whose. Incidentally, even Xander shares his socks with the older boys because of his cute, funky little (or not so little) feet! (:
18. You will sleep again.
19. You will not, however, ever look like you did before you pregnant. Oh wait, maybe that's just me and has something to do with #10.
20. Let your children see your face light up when they come into the room. Even if you are not feeling lit up about it inside. (:
I could go on and on, but my bed and cute sleeping husband is calling out to me! I’ll end with the very cliché but very true, “Love every second. They really do grow up too fast!”
Christianne
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