Fingerprints and Pedicures.....

Last night, Hannah Grace and I had some "girl time". We both went and had our toes painted! Hannah Grace got a special treat from the lady and ended up with flowers on her toes! She was grinning from ear to ear!!!!!!!! We had so much fun.

We also had our fingerprints done for our homestudy. Yeah! One more thing to check off the LONG list! We met with our social worker today for our first visit. It went really well. We were able to ask her all of our questions. She mostly asked us about how we met, what is our family like ect.. I am a little down today. She warned us that the wait time has increased. Looks like Lily might not be here for 36 months beginning Dec. 2007! But, with China, things could change at any time. That will be our prayer over the next 3 years! Please pray with us!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

"Dear Sweet Daughter"
As a girl I had a common dream to be a mom someday. My baby would have eyes of blue and hair the hue of hay. But now my dreams have been transformed. New visions fill my head. Now the tresses that I long to stroke are raven black instead. And in my dreams those eyes are not so big or blue or round Now in my dreams they're almond shaped and colored cocoa brown. And in my dreams my arms can stretch across enormous seas. They reach half way 'round the world and hold you close to me. As you grow in your mother's womb, carefully knit together, you're also growing in our hearts where you'll stay forever And in my dreams the moment that your mother says goodbye, I'll be right there to comfort you and hold you as you cry. Our features may not look alike: We're different as can be. But still I know the Father has created you for me. And though I've not yet seen your face, or held your tiny hands. And though we're half a world apart in very different lands, I'll be right there to get you just as soon as God allows. But til he says the time is right, I give to you this vow. I'll pray for your protection every day on bended knee. For God to hold you in His arms until you're here with me. written by: Gayle Leubecker

BIG NEWS!

BIG NEWS! After much prayer, the Lord has led us to adopt a baby girl from China! We will be journaling our journey on this blog. Please pray for us during this long journey (about 2 1/2 years, hopefully sooner!) We have chosen to name our daughter, Lily, which means God's vow. We are in the beginning stages, collecting massive amounts of paperwork. It can be overwhelming. If anyone reading this blog has been through this, please feel free to give us any tips or encouragement! Yesterday, the Fed Ex man arrived with our China Manual. I was so excited, I took a picture of him! Then later, I nearly cried when I saw how much paperwork we had to do. We are so thankful for Karla, our social worker, she answers ALL our questions and is guiding us each and every step. Carlton and I are so excited, we can hardly stand it. We can't wait to hold our little girl and bring her home to meet her family! Warning:::: these links I have added about china adoptions are addicting.....beware, they might consume hours of your time!

Noah was Hannah Grace's biggest fan at swimming lessons. He would yell,"Jump, Sissy, Jump!"

Here is Hannah Grace about to jump! She has gotten to be such a brave little girl. Swimming lessons have come to an end for this year. Hannah Grace did so good this year. She is almost swimming on her own.!

Bunches of Blessings

Our little blessing is fourth from the left. Of course in many ways all of the children in this picture are a blessing to our family. Hannah Grace and her friends presented a memorization from Scripture and two songs to encourage the congregation at Grace Fellowship today. It never ceases to amaze me at the ability of little children to learn, memorize, and comprehend the Word of God. I know that the Father has a special plan for these children who are being raised in the love of the Lord. We are a small church with about 60 children. This is an awesome responsibility. Hannah Grace and Noah are blessed to be a part of a fellowship of believers that love them, pray for them, and seek to train them to know the Lord. We are so proud of all that is being done in the name of the Lord! -Carlton

Motherhood and the Second Child

It wasn't until my second child that I resorted to bribery. With Hannah Grace, my first-born, I did everything by the book. People were amazed that she could go into Wal-Mart and never ask for a single thing. She sat in the buggy (in the front part where she is supposed to, as opposed to Noah who has to ride in the back because he thinks its a train) and was as content as could be. I could shop for hours on end. I thought to myself... I got this parent thing figured out. Well... Noah arrived and things soon changed. My whole mindset became "What can I do to keep these kids happy, so I can buy some milk and bread." It all started when he was about 6 months. I would stock my purse with cheerios, crackers, you name it. If he would fret, I pulled out the food. Hannah Grace was 2 at the time, and I also started packing things to make her stay happy. Its been 2 years, and the bribery is now part of life. We never leave the house without our "prizes" in my purse. And there is acutally a game plan. I have to mentally think how long we will be "out and about" and carefully time each prize. When our prizes run out, its time to go home. I wonder if other moms do this? I have learned with Noah not to sweat the small stuff. A couple lollipops will not cause eternal tooth decay. Lollipops can actually be compared to good therapy, they keep you from going nuts.