Sick Days

School has started which means we are around other kids who have some little germies.  On the third week of school we already had a little one stay home for three whole days.  We made it to the pediatrician just to make sure we weren't carrying around strep or anything lovely like that (we weren't).

I remember very well when I used to get sick as a kid.  All I wanted to do was spend all day long on the couch watching TV - you know, the kind back in the dark ages where we only had about 4 channels, and in the afternoon all that was on were soap operas???  We even had a BLACK and WHITE TV for many years, no remote EVER.

 Anyway, back to this little one . . . 

She wasn't content to just lay around and nurse her cold.  She wanted to be entertained with paints, crayons, and food.  (I don't think she was THAT sick.)  

But it was some good one on one Carlie time for me!

My Heart in China

This summer I was able to return to China to work with special needs orphans.  I never in a million years thought I'd go somewhere so cool and so far away, and TWICE!  It is amazing to see what He has done to get this giant puzzle put together (not that He is finished).  I am privileged to be a small part of this puzzle, but a very willing participant.  For my part of the puzzle it all started in the early 80's when I first heard of the one child policy and that baby girls were being left to be found.  I was about 12 or 13 at the time and just could not fathom ANY child without a family.  I knew then that I would one day adopt.  I just knew.  

Fast forward to the summer of '88 when I volunteered at the Oklahoma Foundation for the Disabled with my friend.  I was in love with those kids.  That was another time I just knew that that was what I was supposed to be doing.  I didn't know that God would put those two pieces of my puzzle together, interweave them with so many different other people, families, and two countries.  I'm so grateful that His ways are so much higher than mine!

I'm making this way too short to do it justice . . . there will be more to this story!  God is faithful!  He always comes through!

So, for now I will share some of my favorite photos of the trip, but over the next few posts I will try my best to share more of how it all came to be.  

This is my friend Ping.  The orphanage estimates he is not quite one year old, and he has Down's Syndrome.
He would be an awesome brother to a wonderful family!  I would guess he's about 8 months old.  And, at that young
of an age he was already sitting, crawling, and very active - pretty good for a little guy with designer genes!

This is my friend Gael and her charge for the day at the amusement park.  His name is Sing.  What a great kid this is!  Such a great smile and personality!

This is Joey and McKayla.  Joey is nonverbal but SO smart!  He picked up on sign language very quickly.  And, he has the BEST laugh I have ever heard!  He finds so much joy in spite of his circumstances.  (There's a lesson in there.  You feel it?)

And this is beautiful Jin Jin.  Precious guy with autism who is so well behaved and easy going.  I love this boy.  He handled every change and activity wonderfully.  Gorgeous!

This story is far from over.  God is not done with any of this yet.

Cousin Fun Time

So, we had the sister, the brother-in-law, and the cousins over for the weekend.  You know, the one where we celebrate NOT laboring?

We had lots of fun in the pool doing some cool action shots.  I love a great action shot!

Cousin 2 was doing some creative jumping and silliness off the board.

She's a goof!

Lots of fun and relaxing was had.  Can't wait to do it again very soon!