May I brag a little?

Katrina was our first "baby of the family". By this I don't mean the first baby, because there were three before her. I mean the youngest child , who is adored by everyone and hence is used to being the center of attention and usually quite charming. Katrina was always adorable and fit that role perfectly. We did ,subsequently, have other "babies of the family". (You might notice that Everett fits this description pretty well ,too.)
What we did not realize until she was grown was that under all that cute was Determination with a capital D. Looking back at old videos of our family it is very obvious, but somehow with 9 children we didn't notice. So while we shouldn't be at all surprised at her academic success, it is in fact, a sort of serendipity.
Last month we visited UNC Chapel Hill for her White Coat Ceremony. That is when third year pharmacy students are presented their white jacket. Next year she will move closer to home to do rotations in the Asheville area before she graduates. We will be so glad to be able to see her more often! We love you Katrina!

My daughter, Ariel, is an athlete. Since we live in an area where the only access homeschoolers have to play sports is in public school, I actually encouraged her (sorry Ryan) to go to high school. She began going only part time with the understanding that there would be certain activities that other students participated in that she would not. It has been for the most part a very good experience. She has had caring teachers and made good friends. She has excelled athletically, especially in basketball, her first love.



Tonight my little homeschooled girl became Miss Franklin High School ! After all those years of people questioning if homeschoolers can 'fit in' with their peers it is nice to be able to say, "of course !" Okay, I will admit that there were alot of things Ariel did not know about when she first started school. Someone asked her recently if she tried to 'be popular' (as if she knew what that was). She responded, "I didn't even know what the bells were for." lol

Adoption Update

Our adoption paperwork has finally gone to China. I should be very excited about this, but I just keep thinking that it has taken about twice as long as I expected and 3 times as long as I have seen our agency do it for other families.
While I had a break from the theater, I finished Dominic's room (even put down the carpet myself) and gathered the ingredients for Rosie's and Nellie's. Theirs will actually be two rooms - one for sleeping and one for girl play. The playroom downstairs is pretty filled with trucks and other boy toys, so I think they need their own space. Since Dominic's room is upstairs, I fully expect that he will prefer to sleep with Ric and Andy so we have rearranged their room to accomodate that. My current project is to get packages together to send to D and R. Each will get a photo album (so that they can be a little familiar with their new world before they get here), as well as a camera to take pictures of their friends, and a few small toys.

Chinese New Year / Valentines Day

According to the Chinese calendar, this is the year of the tiger, but Ric and Andy needed parents for Beary and Brown Bear so we added bears to their menangerie. Ethan not only gave Ariel her first flowers from a boy besides Ric, but also the grandaddy of all bears.
We celebrated CNY at Ric's parent's restaurant. There was tons of food and lots of chicken feet left over, if anyone wants to know where they can get some. They plan to close the restaurant next week - business has been really bad this year - and we are going to miss all the wonderful food terribly !

Snowy Days

This year we have had wonderful snowfalls ! It has been Many years since we have had so much and we enjoy every flake. Yesterday's snow was fat, fluffy, very wet snow - the best kind. Unexpected things sometimes happen on snowy days, which is one of the things that make them so exciting. Last night our power went out and didn't come back on until about noon today - just the right amount of time so that we could enjoy candlelight and fireplace. It also helped the kids to understand what it means that Jerry is 'gone to help people get their power back on'. He is gone often for that, but because we live in town we haven't had that experience in their memory. It was funny when they would say that since we didn't have lights in the living room they would just turn on their bedroom light.
Today, since the power is still out at their house, we had the fun of a visit from Jay and Amber. For Christmas, I bought the little kids some wooden toys to paint. Ariel and Ethan helped Ric paint his trucks: Amber helped Andy paint his trucks ; and Jay helped Nellie paint her doll bed. Everyone had lots of fun, in spite of a little whining from guess who.

Five Years

Five years ago we got a phone call and made a decision that changed our lives. Our last of nine children, Ariel, had turned 13 and I was enjoying being the parent of an only child. I homschooled her, took her to riding lessons twice a week and sewed for her children's choir. We ate out at nice restaurants, never ate fast food, and slept as late as we wanted. We could travel anywhere, anytime we wanted. We went to Disney with only a pass and a credit card in our pockets (to anyone who has ever shlepped a stroller and a diaper bag, this is huge !) I took stained glass classes and violin lessons, thinking I would play in a community orchestra one day. I was seriously thinking about whether I wanted to take up gardening or just be a regular on the 'out to lunch' circuit with friends. I rarely had to do anything I didn't totally want to do.

Then Cheryl called us from China. She said she had received a call from a Chinese couple who owned a restaurant here in Franklin asking if I would babysit their newborn 24/7 indefinitely. I laughed and said , "I don't babysit." I told Jerry that night, laughing, and he said, "Are you sure?" Of course, I was sure. Life was easy, babies are hard. I had almost finished raising (homeschooling) nine kids- 4 birthed , 5 adopted. Surely I had finished what God had required of me.............But doubt crept in. Maybe this Was God. Not many people we knew had had this experience. In fact, none had. .......So we said 'yes'.

I fixed up a new nursery in our house and bought a ton of baby clothes all the while wondering if this would really happen. On a cold winter day, I put the car seat in the car and drove to Ric's parents' house where they handed me a tiny baby boy dressed in pink.

That was five years ago. Ric still lives with us and loves to spend the night with his parents occassionally. When his parents considered sending him to live with grandparents in 2006, we offered to take him for a visit. Anyone who knows me and how much I hate to fly will know that only my love for Ric and God's supernatural intervention allowed me to make this offer. This lead to a visit with Cheryl and to an orphanage where we first saw Dominic. In our attempt to bring him home we became foster parents and the Lord sent us Nellie,10, whose adoption was final in November. Because we didn't think we could get Dominic, we went to China in 2008 and brought home Andy. While in China, we found out that Dominic,10, had become available. In the process of paperwork for him , we found out that China would let us bring home Rosemary,10, as well !!

So, as Ariel is about to graduate from high school, we will have 5 young children. I haven't picked up a violin in years , although I'd like to brush up enough to get this set of kids started. My stained glass equipment is covered with dust in a corner of the playroom. We are back to eating at fast food restaurants when we travel. But I am not complaining. Life is a blast ! I am so grateful for this surprise ride the Lord has taken us on. After all, as someone said, so well , "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, WOW ! what a ride !" To that I say 'Amen'.

Christmas 2009

By the time we remembered to take a family picture, Jay and Amber were spending time with her family, so here is the whole family minus the newest married couple. My mom and dad made the trip up from Naples so we were really blessed to have them the second year in a row. I understand that my kids' Massachusetts cousins were not too happy about this.
Dad and Jerry worked a ton in the kitchen . I am pretty sure this one of Ariel is just her stopping by for a photo op ;).Last year, when I was sick Camila said that we would never have two big meals again on Christmas Day. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that entirely so we pretty much kept every tradition intact.
For many years now Ryan has reminded us that with everyone moving and getting married this could be our last Christmas as usual. Camila is now in an international law program in the Netherlands and had a few weather issues getting home,but even she made it. We are so grateful to have had this time together.