Happy Birthday~Thing One and Thing Two

Trigg and Ivor turned two! They had a wonderful first party as they celebrated in the most cheerful way- none other than Dr. Seuss style! Each present they opened, they responded with such glee! They played and played with the balloons and ate till their little hearts were content. They knew it was their day. I found myself overwhelmed with thankfulness, that they are home and happy and thriving. I thought back to their first birthday when there was an ocean between us and all we could do was light a couple of candles and pray they would be in our arms soon. God is so faithful and sometimes it's really hard to truly grasp what He is doing in our lives. I will allow the photos to tell the rest...

Farewell Fiona

Many tears have been shed on our home front today.  We woke to find Zoe's cute little white pony, Fiona had been fighting colic all through the night.  Her intestines were twisted and she was miserable.  The vet was immediately called and he tried his hardest to help her, but his efforts were unsuccessful.  She was laid to rest shortly before lunch.

My poor little girl shed a thousand tears today.  When a girl loses her pony the world comes to a halt.  Bless her little heart as she tries to make sense of this loss.  It is so hard to see your child in such anguish.

When Zoe was about 4, she had spotted Fiona at a carnival in Flagstaff, AZ.  We were there watching Clay rope.  She dragged her daddy over to the pony ring to show him the white treasure with a "For Sale" sign on her hinney.  After batting her eyelashes and sticking out the bottom lip, Zoe had earned the title, "Proud Owner of a White Pony."  She was such a cute little thing.  She looked like a real pretty quarter horse, just smaller. None of us imagined, her life would be so darn short.

Earlier this month we had purchased a new bridle and cinch for little Fiona.  We had come up with the idea to have her and her best horsey pal, Moonshine (Rance's pony) ready to do pony rides for Trigg and Ivor's upcoming birthday party.  The kids have spent several days here lately playing with and grooming the ponies.

It's never easy around here when a pet is lost...each time, I think to myself, NO MORE ANIMALS.  Somehow, they continue to accumulate.

Praying my daughter's pain will fade soon...and promising my next post to be a happy one.

Blessings,

Misty

Mission Accomplished!

You may remember the shout out in this post:

http://www.careshareandcreate.blogspot.com/2011/10/piecing-together-our-family.html

Well...the quilt is finished! 

We felt a huge out pour of love and support once this project was under way.  People as far as Germany, and as close as our home town showed their support through donations to help bring home our babies.  It was humbling, moving, and totally amazing to see first hand the love other's shared for these two little boys who deserve a family.  We received checks in the mail as well as online donations from friends, family, and people we had never met.  It was truly incredible.  I won't keep the exciting news from you.  The total money donated came to:

$6,610.00

Thank you ~ Gracias ~ 謝謝 ~ Danke ~ Terima Kasih  ~ спасибо ~ gratias ~ Asante ~ ありがと

When we set out to adopt, we never imagined all God would teach us through this journey.  We learned how true the saying is..."He will provide."  We saw how much He wants the oprhans in homes.  We learned how kind this broken world can really be.  We learned that prayer really does work.  We found that people really do care.  We discovered that He is in control.  We learned to trust His timing.  We found out what it feels like to be in the center of His will. 

We also want to thank all the families who provided meals and support once we were home.  It is truly imeasurable how much it helps. 

We thank God for the sending us people like you...

TWO LESS!!!

Many Blessings,

Misty and Family

"In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35

Happy Birthday Hubby :)

The new "Father of Five" turned 33 today! His memory is slipping already, he had to ask me how old he was~ Uh-oh.

We celebrated his birthday Saturday with his dad, my mom and my aunt and uncle as well as some cousins, and of course Ryan. Not to mention pine-apple upside down cake. Yikes.

Zoe, is preparing him dinner tonight. She has chosen to make meatloaf, baked potatoes and glazed carrots. Mmm-mmm good!

I think it's important to let kids do things for others that really comes strait from their heart. Giving is something that benefits the giver, even more than the reciever. It is heart warming, rewarding and fullfilling to give of yourself. Often a service is much more appreciated than a material item, so the next time you can't think of what to get daddy from the kids, consider a service!

Blessings,

Misty

Ivor Has a Happy Heart

"I am recording in Ivor's medical records that he has a normal and healthy heart". These were the words spoken by the Pediatric Cardiologist today after he listened to Ivor's heart and reviewed the echo.

We knew Ivor had a hole in his heart when he was a baby. When we were in the process of adopting the twins, we received a call, letting us know. We took it strait to God and started praying. We had it prayed over in church one Sunday as well.

When we brought Ivor home, no one could hear the murmur. Not the doctor in China, not our pediatricians here. Then, while in Denver, the pediatrician at Children's thought he heard it and ordered an echo.

Today, we heard music to our ears when he was cleared!

Praise God for our sweet boys happy little heart.

Blessings,

Misty

Family

I am the kind of person that loves FAMILY. I love getting together with aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, nieces, nephews, my sisters, and my parents. I have a very close family. We see each other a lot.

This past weekend we enjoyed our annual Lake Weekend," we call it. We have been gathering at Navajo Lake for nine years now in mid July. We look so forward to it and our kids have gotten to where they know exactly what to expect and it is officially a tradition.

Trigg and Ivor loved their first "Lake Days," trip. They are so amazing, the way they just adapt, and act like they have been with us forever. They loved the boat and the camp fires and the relatives doting over them. Several times, I would reflect on the past year and how hard it was to get them here and how long I waited, but oh, how worth it!

Watching two children go from being orphans and living in an institution, to being in a family is amazing. They bloom. Their personalities have exploded. Ivor was always described as sensitive, and a sympathy cryer. He would fall apart when he heard other babies cry. I imagine that was pretty often, considering where he was. He is not that guy now! He laughs several times a day. He is silly and sweet.

Trigg went from throwing fits and losing his marbles over every little thing to pouting a minute and getting over it. He is witty and flirtatious. They are both stronger and happier. Why? Because they are in a family. They belong. They are part of a group of people who love each other. Even the best orphanage or care center can't replace that.

If you have a family, realize you have something that 147 million children in the world don't. Family is a gift. Appreciate your family members, support them, reach out to them, they are yours and you are blessed to have them.

Be Blessed,

Misty

A Day at the Children's GI Clinic

Today was all about Trigg. We did not learn anything we did not know, but it was confirmed we are caring for him correctly. Phew. Our doctor was a cool Asian dude and he seemed to think our twinkles were pretty cute.

We love the Children's Hospital. Very neat place, but definitely sad to see all the sick children. I felt very weighed down by the reality of where we were. Then it dawned on me how fortunate these children are to live in a place were they can access great medical care and they have hope.

The wagons are great and Trigg and Ivor love them. Today I snapped some shots of our true warriors.