XOXOXO



Hearts

February is national heart month, and this week is national congenital heart defect awareness week.

We are aware like never before the impact that CHD makes on children and their families. The uncertainties, the waiting for answers, the struggle to just live each day to its fullest without the constant nagging feelings of what ifs. And yet also the love, the joy, the spirit, the resilience, and the hope!

This precious girl has already brought so much "heart" into our lives! Her heart is special and unique, and I don't just mean her physical heart. She is a treasure beyond measure, one of a kind, created by our good, good Father! 

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

As the details of heart surgery unfold, we are painfully aware that we are about to walk into something really hard and uncomfortable. Yet, we are also more keenly aware that our loving Father is in control. We know and trust that He will be with us each and every step of the way! We pray that God would use it to grow a deeper compassion in our hearts for others. And no matter what, we want to be able to say

 "blessed be the name of the Lord!"

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:37-39



Swingin!

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not,
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! 

Morning Reading Buddy!

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life."

Psalm 143:8

She Used To . . .

She used to . . . live in an orphanage in China.
Now . . . she lives in our home in America with her family!


She used to . . . rock her body back and forth in her sleep to soothe herself.
Now . . . mommy holds her and rocks her and soothes her to sleep!


She used to . . . cry and shout and use her hands to hit and flail when she was upset.
Now . . . she uses her words to express herself, and she uses her hands to love and hug!


She used to . . . be unable to wait for food while it was being prepared in the kitchen.
Now . . . she asks for what she wants and waits patiently (most of the time) while it is prepared!


She used to . . . bounce from activity to activity like a little pinball with a very short attention span.
Now . . . she focuses on one task at a time and stays with it for extended periods of time!


She used to . . . fight for the control in every situation.
Now . . . she is learning to trust mommy and daddy to be in control!


She used to . . . have no idea how to make her own choices.
Now . . . she loves the freedom to choose from her guided options, and she is learning to stick to her choice!


She used to . . . need mommy to "hold you" most of the day.
Now . . . she still needs mommy to hold her, but not quite as often!


She used to . . . play a lot of charades to communicate.
Now . . . she is practically fluent in English!


She used to . . . chatter away incessantly in Chinese.
Now . . . she chatters away incessantly in English!


She used to . . . not know name of Jesus.
Now . . . she listens to stories about Him, sings songs about Him, and prays to Him!


She used to . . . be an orphan.
Now . . . she is our precious, beloved daughter, cherished and adored!

It is amazing what 4 months of forever family love can do!!!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

2 Corinthians 5:17





Happy Chinese New Year!

"Xīnnián kuàilè!"
2017 is the Year of the Rooster! So, we began the celebration by making rooster masks. These 3 little roosters say, "cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Then it was off to the International Market for Lion Dances and shopping!

We decided to be adventurous this year and go all homemade for dinner! The first item on our list was dumplings a.k.a. pot stickers or "jiaozi". We all love them and usually just buy them at Costco. But making them ourselves? We figured it was worth a try! The girls had a blast, and it sure paid off! They were so yummy!!! This will be a tradition from now on!

By the way . . . we couldn't have done it without the recipe from No Hands But Ours, and daddy, "the chopper"!

The girls got dressed up in their Chinese dresses of choice, and of course, I had to snap some pictures of my China dolls!

Then the cooking began! On the menu . . . dumplings with dipping sauce, beef lo main noodles, kung pao chicken, rice, dragon fruit, and a new fruit to try, star fruit - so pretty and super yummy!

Feasting with family, food, and fun! We enjoyed jasmine tea, almond cookies (not homemade) and melon candy for dessert.

This little one was the last to leave the table . . . savoring every bite!

What a joy it is to honor the birth place of these three precious girls!

"Happy New Year!"



Snow Day!

We woke up this morning to a blanket of snow all over our yard! These southern California kids get pretty excited about it!

And we're pretty sure this is the first time this little one has seen snow!

Mia loves those kissable cheeks!

The girls have been watching the weather for weeks, hoping for snow! They loved it!!!

Oh, and our fluffy kitty, Roxy, decided to give the snow a try too!

Presley didn't last too long, though, and so it was inside to warm up!

And of course to drink some hot chocolate with marshmallows!

What a fun day!