Is There A Dial Tone?

by Steph // Thursday, July 2, 2015 // Comments off

I will set the premise for this post by confessing my state of mind the past ten days.

Distracted!

My body is here, but my mind is elsewhere.

So I should not have been surprised when I picked up my smart phone to call my hubby, unlocked it, and then held it to my ear to make sure there was a dial tone before I dialed his number.

Duh.

I am so old!

I will say that I was not too distracted one evening when I was doing dishes to soak in this scene!!

These two.

Did my heart good. Their giggles are so contagious.

In the midst of fencing last Saturday, some sneaky ones made a plan to surprise Blake!

Grant took Monday morning off, and David doesn’t have to be to work until after lunch. So they, Kayla, Chad and Lane worked on the fencing project and nearly finished it!!!

It was such an encouragement to both Blake and my heart. Thanks so much, guys!!

Addie Mae made a new kind of play doh this week.

With marshmallows, cornstarch and food coloring!

I liked the consistency of it a lot, and it was naturally gluten-free.

Eliza liked it too!

Addie Mae has finished some of her painting projects.

It is all turning out SO nice!

The school room shelves were painted black, and flowered contact paper was added to the backing.

I bought the totes with a gift certificate I had!!

The living room bookshelves and end table were painted an almond color, and then a dark wax was rubbed over them.

They are stunning!

I love the updated touches you are giving things, Addie Mae! Thank you!

We have been doing all we can to get things moving again to bring Tate home.

Our hearts are aching but we are resting in Jesus!!

We wait with excited anticipation to see how the Lord will write the rest of Tate’s homecoming story!!!

It did my heart good to have my friend Gail here today.

We packed up all the shower gifts for the Samuels family in suitcases, weighed them, and zipped them shut!

They are all ready to go to China!! What a blessing!!!

And now we are looking forward to the holiday weekend!

Hope you all are too!!

Happy 4th of July, everyone!!!

Our Teeny Tiny Cheerful Young Warrior!!!

by Steph // Tuesday, June 30, 2015 // Comments off

Could you all hear the sobs from where you are??

Well, no apologies from here!!

We just received an update on our sweet Tate!!!

He is teeny tiny!!!

The same size that Eliza was at two years old.

Tate will be four years old very soon!

We received answers to all of our questions too!!

What are his current weight, height, and foot length measurements from this month?

12.5 kg, 93cm, 15cm foot, 22 teeth

Is he able to use the potty on his own?

Yes.

What are his favorite foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Breakfast, milk, bread, cracker. Lunch, noodle or dumpling. Dinner, egg soup, bun or noodle.

What is his schedule like for a day? For sleeping and eating?

He has breakfast at 6am, has lunch at 12 and then take a short nap, has dinner at 6:30pm. He goes to bed at 9pm.

Can he express his needs well?

He is really good at telling you what he wants.

Is he with a foster family, or at the orphanage?

In orphanage.

What makes him happy? What makes him scared or sad?

He is a happy and easy child. He likes to play games with other children. He likes to read children books. He is very happy to help when you ask him. We haven’t seen anything he feels scared of yet. And he is always happy and cheerful.

Is there anything else you would like us to know about him?

He is a very smart child. He likes to spend time to play toys, games, puzzles.

He is always happy and cheerful!! That is why we chose the name Tate! It means “cheerful!”

Our hearts are SO FULL looking at these photos!!

Mr. Tiny Tate, we need to buy all new clothes for you! We bought things that will be way too big for you!

Unfortunately, our paperwork is standing still yet today.

Did you know when there are more obstacles, it allows God to show up in even bigger ways?!!

Please keep praying with us!!!

We love you so much Tate Owen, and we are doing all we can to get there and bring you home!!!

A Break From Reality

by Steph // Sunday, June 28, 2015 // Comments off

Have I mentioned how much I love Saturdays?

This Saturday that we just had? Especially so.

We worked hard most of the day….but there was a plan that kept us motivated!

I love starting Saturdays early, you guessed it, on the porch.

Then I love to fill the bellies of my amazing crew with yummy things they love.

We are super blessed that Grant does not leave for work until eleven on Saturdays!

So he and Chad moved all the chickens around. They get too big for the brooder in just a few weeks time!

Eliza helped move the turkeys. What a hoot!

She was yelling “GET BACK HERE CHICKEN!” as she chased them around.

Sweet baby, you are not in Guangzhou anymore!

Blake and Lane were our fencing crew.

Do you really ever finish fencing?

Don’t answer that.

Addie Mae and I kept everybody fueled.

After lunch Addie Mae took the three youngest swimming!

Which they LIVE for.

I am so thankful for this swimming pool!

David and Kayla arrived at lunch time for a few hours, and were a huge help to us!

David joined the fencing crew, and Kayla is our master gardener.

Finally, it was time to take a break from reality.

The kids were clear excited!!

We were CAMPING OUT!!

Just the way I love to – fifty feet from the back door!

We cooked over the fire.

It was so relaxing. And smelled so good!

When did she get SO big?!?

It was such a beautiful night.

And we have beautiful girls!

In the afternoon, Kayla and I had made chocolate chip brownies!

Addie served them with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

We had a photo bomber.

But he is so cute!

After dessert, this happened –

I have always loved how the children embrace life!! Whatever we are doing, work or play, they jump in with lots of energy, smiles, and happy hearts!

We did eventually all get in that tent to go to sleep! Grant even joined us when he got home from work!

Eliza was loving it, and saying “Me love a tent, Mom! Me love a red bed!”

We were still awake an hour later, and Eliza could not fall asleep. When she starting saying “This bed is not working! My red bed no working!” I asked her if she would like to go inside to her bed to sleep. She starting crying and said yes.

I took her in to her bed, lay down with her, and she was sound asleep in mere seconds. At about midnight I moved to my own bed and slept in the house with her.

I was a little disappointed to miss out on our camp out! But this morning, Blake, who was a little bleary eyed, told me I was much better off inside, he, he!

Saturday, you did not disappoint!

So many new, good memories tucked deep in our hearts.

We talked about you non-stop, Tate!

And prayed for you as we all laid in that tent.

Can’t wait to sit around the fire and watch you run around too, our little man!!!

Please, please keep praying for our timeline with us!!