Thanks...

Aunt Becca, Uncle Bobby, JD, and Clara. These are really cool pop-up books. We love and miss you!

The Girl's Got Curl

This one's for you, Mom. I swear I'm not making it up that Maddie Rae's hair curls under at the ends.

"Nala"

This is Maddie Rae's first word (excluding the "Mama!" she screamed when she came out of surgery). She loves this Nala stuffed animal that she got from her shower. When she lays down to sleep, she has to have her "bear bear" from the Gregorys, her Nala, and her blankie. She sees Nala and starts giggling and getting all excited. Yesterday, Nala even got pushed around the plaza in a stroller (with a purse slung over her arm, I might add...a proud moment for this handbag loving mama!). I am so encouraged that she is starting to try to imitate sounds. Jonah's first words were all dog words. Since our dog is currently residing with Mammy and Grandude, it is fitting that "Nala" would be her first word!

Family Photo Session

It's not easy getting a good photo of 3 kids. Not sure if we got one, but these will have to do. Bring back memories, Dad?! At least Jack's not picking his nose in any of these like he was in our 2003 Christmas photo, but why oh why did I let him wear red shoes?!

Jonah's Xmas Concert

The Monster

Those of you who knew Jack when he was about the same age as Maddie Rae will undoubtedly remember his famous trick, "The Monster." We would tell him to do the monster, and he would tense up his arms and face and not breath until he absolutely had to. When he had a really large audience, sometimes he would get so many laughs that we would think he was going to burst a blood vessel or pass out. So you can imagine our surprise when we were sitting at dinner a couple of weeks ago and suddenly Maddie Rae busted out the infamous monster. She of course got laughs, which egged her on, and now she will do it on cue. There is a Chinese proverb that the adoption community likes to quote as evidence that our children were meant to be ours. "An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet...regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break." We would refer to this "red thread" as God's sovereignty in bringing our daughter, who was woven together by Him, into the thread of our family. I would say that not only is this proof that Maddie Rae was meant to be ours, but also that God certainly has a sense of humor and delights to give us glimpses of himself and his will through these "red thread" monster moments!

"Baby" Shower

My good friend, Ellen, feeding me yummy cake!

My good friends Carol and Nadine hosted a shower for Maddie Rae at our church on Saturday. I was so overwhelmed at the love and care for our little girl from our church family and friends in Hong Kong. We have been truly blessed with wonderful "family" here who have showered us with such encouragement, support, prayers, and love. Thank you!!

Maddie Rae got the hang of opening presents pretty quickly, and she loved the cake! She got all sorts of fun things like a new kitchen (which her big brother, Jack, put together for her), books, toys, and clothes. She even got a party dress with sequins on it from Bangkok. She will be quite the glittery girl! We had a great afternoon, and we thank everyone for giving our little girl such a nice welcome home party.