Belated Holiday Wishes!

Sorry all for the late infrequent updates. Life has been busy. This is the first year in about 15 years that I didn't get a holiday card out. Perhaps a New Year's card.

We had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to meeting up Brody's side of the family for New Years at an area waterpark. Jackson will be 3 on Jan. 3rd, so we have a birthday to celebrate as well. The kids seemed happy with their gifts. Addie got the American Girl doll, Chrissa that she asked Santa for and Jackson got his "car" - Cozy Coupe from Nana & Poppa. I have been having fun with them during my time off from school. Addie is enjoying her school break as well. Jackson will start preschool in January - 2 days per week, where he will continue with his speech therapy. They are doing such good work with him - his speech has come so far. I have noticed being home with him that he has become such a little chatterbox. So thanks to Melissa (his Birth to 3 therapist), we will miss you. Now he will recieve services through our local school district. God is so good to have blessed us with such knowledgable people right in our own backyard.

Here are some pictures from Christmas and the weeks leading up to the holiday. Enjoy!

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Happy Holidays from Us to You!

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Harley Update

Harley is home :) She is much more of her old self - even kind of perky. We are still giving her IV fluids at home and antibiotics; they will check her blood counts again Monday night. We did have her tested for leptospirosis, lymes disease and diabetes. We will know more on Monday. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Prayer Request

Please pray for our furry family member Harley - she is overnight at the local Animal Hospital suffering from Acute Renal Failure. We aren't sure why - no anti-freeze, raisins, grapes, or other toxins. Her BUN levels - to quote the vet "were the highest she had ever seen in a live animal". They were over 100 - even if they can reverse this - we are not sure if she will have enough kidney function left.

We were all crying at the vet's office tonight - we were there for almost 3 hours. Tomorrow I take my state exams for my counseling license - what awful timing as my mind will be on Harley. Brody is going to check on her in the morning and they will run her levels again.

Please keep her in your prayers and our kids too - they were scared she had to stay at the vet's office.

Boo! Happy Halloween.

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Happy Fall!!!

We were able to get out and take a few photos this past weekend. The kids are growing and changing so much - enjoy!

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First Day of 4K

Addie is at her first morning of Kindergarten right now!!! Hoping to post pictures in a few minutes. She seemed OK going in. Her class seemed big - she seemed so little :( A little boy started pulling her ponytail on the rug right before the parents left - ah Kindergarten hasn't changed a bit.

One year later - Jaxie's Day

One year ago I walked into the civil affairs office in Nanjing China - feeling a little disoriented, and missing my hubby (who was home with our daughter) like crazy. It was a big room, and there were a few children there already, but I didn't see Jackson. Then I noticed a little boy sitting peacefully with his nanny, partially hidden behind a wooden partition. It. was. him. [insert tears of joy here] :)

He came to me with no reservations what-so-ever. We had a difficult beginning in China, getting to know each other, Jackson grieving, and physically not feeling all that great. But, from the minute we got home he just settled right in.

He is soooooooooo sweet, has a great sense of humor, and is very charming. He has grown 7 inches and gained almost 10 pounds. He has a huge vocabulary now and is making great strides in speech therapy. He loves trains, swimming, and books. We are truly blessed beyond measure to have Jackson Reece TaoChuan in our life.

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June/July Update

Hello-
Sorry we've been away for awhile. All is going well. We are getting into the swing of summer. The temps have been crazy; cold, then mid-90s last week, now cold again. We are either in pants or not leaving the pool. We are managing to fill up our days with organization projects (the house slipped into disarray when Mommy returned to work), playing, gardening, berry picking, trips to the zoo, and hanging out with family and friends.

Kids update:
Addie - received her notice that she will be attending our local 4 Year Old Kindergarten this fall - every morning, every day. This will be a big change from pre-school (two afternoons/ week), but we think she is ready. The nice thing is that the 4K-site is right behind our house. She is swimming like a fish this summer, head under the water and no life-jacket in the pool. She love chewing gum, bright nail polish, wearing dresses, her fuzzy blanket and kitty (strawberry), singing, dancing, painting, Disney movies, and Sunday school.

Jax - our sweet little guy is growing up. He has grown 6 inches and gained 10lbs since coming home last September. He is a totally different kid. He is very outgoing, and always has a smile waiting with his adorable dimples. I finally had to cut his thick, shaggy locks - it made me sad to see all the hair go, but it is much cooler for the summer. He is now saying two and three word sentences, and is a star student at speech therapy. He wants to do everyting himself - lots of "I do it" going on. He is also a fish - very calm in the water. He loves to put his face in and float on his back. Jax loves to swing, play cars and trains, blow bubbles, snuggle with his fuzzy, fix things with his "tools", and cuddle with everyone.

We are taking a few trips this summer - up north to my parents cabin and to Iowa for a family wedding. So we will log many hours in the car over the next few weeks. I start my new job August 6th, so about one month left to play :)

Here's a few scrapbook pages of the kids:

Creative Mojo

My creative juices are finally flowing again. Must be because my life is getting back to normal. I'm so excited to share that I found a High School Counseling position. What a huge burden off my mind. I am really excited about the district that I will be working for as well.

Here are some new scrapbook pages. All with Jackson - the poor little guy is WAY behind his big sister in page features.

Enjoy!

Mother's Day

I haven't scrapbooked in ages - thought I would share. We had a great Mother's Day - I am so proud and blessed to call these two kiddos mine.

Happy Easter

We are running a few weeks behind, but I wanted to share these pictures and videos of the kids.

In Addie's words "Jesus is alive"! Indeed HE is. It is so wonderful to see her proclaim these three words as she skips around our kitchen.

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Somebody is turning FOUR tomorrow!

How can she be four already... it seems like just yesterday she was turning one. Now she loves Disney princess, eating with chopsticks, nail polish, singing everything (her life is a musical), and is looking forward to a new "big girl" bike. I just can't believe it.

I asked her today if she thought she would feel different tomorrow because she will be four - she said, "Yes mom, I will be old". Too funny. I am going to try to video an interview with her later - she's a hoot.

Here's her party invite for this weekend. I like how it turned out.

Really, Three Years?

Three years ago today, we met our beautiful, baby girl in Nanchang, China. She has blossomed from baby to toddler, to a preschooler. I can't believe how much she has changed, and how much we have changed because she is part of our life. Our love grows everyday, we are so blessed to have you, sweet girl.

[Nanchang, China 02/19/2006]

[02/19/2009 at Home]

Scrapbook Kit - True Love

So my Sweet P Studio blog is not finished yet, hopefully soon, but I didn't want to wait on this freebie. I had a lot of fun creating this kit. I would love some feedback. Please post your feedback, or links to you layouts in the comments section. I can't wait to see what you all do with the kit. Enjoy!

{Download the Elements}

{Download the Solid Papers}
{Download the Patterned Papers}

Happy New Year - 2009 - Year of the Ox

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Brrr....

Wow - it has been so cold here. We headed to Shriner's as 4am this morning for Jackson's surgery. We took some photo's of the temperature gauge at the bank by our house. -24 degrees. On our way back into town this afternoon, it was a balmy -4. You have lived in the Midwest too long when -4 feel warm. It is supposed to be in the 20's/30's this weekend - I might need to get out the kiddie pool - just kidding.

I can't say enough awesome things about Shriner's. We are so blessed to be part of their program. Jax got his ear tubes put in today and they were so wonderful with him. He is such a trooper and tolerated the surgery so well. He was back to his cheery little self after sleeping off the anesthesia for about an hour. It sounded like he gave them a run for their money in the recovery room though. He is not fond of being woke up, much less by strangers - even the nicest ones. I think he seemed shocked by just how loud his sister really is this afternoon. We love her to no end, but she has no volume control. (Does anyone else have a super loud 3 or 4 year old - do they learn to manage their volume?)

Here are some pictures from our day: