Table for Six

New blog

2010-02-15T17:57:00.001-06:00

Contact me on Facebook to get the site location..

2009-08-06T22:25:00.004-05:00

have a great day

been a long time...

2009-07-14T22:26:00.002-05:00

my first post back is to Daniel.
Happy Birthday Daniel. Your birthday was a couple weeks ago and you turned FIVE! I wished you a huge happy day on Facebook.. and wrote in my special journal.. but have been absent from here...
This is my thoughts when we wished you a beautiful day.....June 29th: Daniel, you are so precious and sweet. You have a tender heart that God has slowly healed and it has been a testimony to many lives how present He is. You love Jesus and are constantly seeking Him. It amazes us that you go go go go go ... and eat eat eat eat... then go go go go go ... but you love love love love deeply. And I am grateful.
Daniel, you have pierced my soul. You have reached down and broken the barriers that we both built and have wrapped your heart around mine. I love being your mommy. I love waking up and knowing that within moments, you will stumble in and stretch then smile .. then hug me. i love your silly grin - especially when you are up to something. i love the way you snuggle up when we are reading books. i love the way you pray to Jesus. I love the way you protect your sisters. I love the way you teach your brother how to build with toys. I love your smelly feet. Daniel my list of "i love.." can go on for days.. Son, I love you so much,my heart burst with love for you. I am beyond grateful God decided to allow you to be our son and I am so humbled He said yes,,, they would make a perfect match- make him a shelton! :O)
happy happy happy happy 5th birthday dear sweet son.

please spread the word

2009-05-20T20:49:00.002-05:00

I would like to ask for prayer, for you to spread the word, for donations, for a miracle.
I met Dawn while in China. She works at Shephards Field. She works with Orphans. She gave up her job, her life in the US and moved to China. This is her story. This will be her FIRST CHILD. She needs help. Please post this on your blogs. Please put the word out there. Help bring another child home. thank you all.

Dear Friends and Family,What an exciting time this is. In November 2004, I started my adoption journey. I had no idea it would take me this long. G*d knew though. He has spent every day of the last 4 ½ years preparing me to be the mother I needed to be for the child He had chosen for me. My papers arrived in China on Christmas 2006. What a gift that was. I remember thinking a few months before my papers were done that maybe my papers took so long to do because she wasn’t born yet. I now can say, yes, one purpose for my papers taking so long was that. My daughter, Wei Mingcong, was born on October 22, 2006. She lives 1 ½ hours from me but I won’t get her for a few months. Now comes the time to finish raising the funds for her adoption. If I was living in the states, I would be selling my glassware, doing garage sales, selling candy bars, doing whatever it would take to raise the $11,500 still needed to get her home. However, G*d had a different plan. He has me, in Ch*na, and my wait time is short before my daughter is in my loving arms. My agency expects that I could be traveling to get her by the end of the summer. Praise G*d! My time to be a mother has come!Since my time is short, I am coming to you and asking you to help bring my little one home. I know the challenges many of you are facing on a daily basis because of the US economy. Fortunately, I am trusting in HIS economy. Things don’t always add up the way we would like it to, but fortunately, when we trust in the L*rd with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding, HE provides what we need. This past year living in Ch*na on a salary that was less than 1/8 of what I was used to making has proved that HE does provide when we trust in Him. I work for an organization that daily trusts in HIM to provide and they have seen HIS miracles related to financial needs occur time after time. One of the things I have had to learn to do this year was humble myself and ask for help. That is why I am coming to you. My Adoption Association, America World, has a program called the "Eternal Family" program to help bring my daughter home. The Eternal Family program allows friends and family to participate in charitable giving towards the adoption of my child. Of course, I present this to you as an opportunity and not an obligation. Checks are made out to America World Adoption and sent directly to the office at: 6723 Whittier Ave., Suite 202, McLean, VA 22101. On the memo line, please indicate “Eternal Family.” I’ve included a separate sheet that should be completed and included with the check when it is sent to America World. You will receive a receipt from America World for tax purposes at the end of this fiscal year. Time truly is short and I will need to receive any donations by July 1st. My adoption journey has been one of faith. I have been blessed by the changes in my life that have come from it. I humbly ask you to join hearts and hands with me in this journey and pray for this little one as we become a family. Every little bit counts and I thank you for considering this. Love and blessings,Dawn
Eternal Family Adoption Assistance Program Name of Adopting Family you are requesting to support: _________Dawn Rittenhouse_____________ Please record your name, or organization’s name, full address, phone number, and the amount of your contribution in the box below. Be sure to include this form with your check. Checks can be made payable to America World Adoption. America World is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; therefore, all donations are considered tax-deductible contributions in the year they are given. The funds donated are not refundable to the donor or to the family. The maximum amount of donation money for a family’s adoption expense is determined by household income (with a cap of $10,000). Any amount above this will be used to fund other families or America World projects. In order to fully comply with the law, America World retains discretion and control over the use of all donated funds. Contributions become part of a fund used to assist families with their adoption expenses. While we cannot guarantee that all funds donated by you will be made available to your designated family, America World does work to honor the wishes of donors. Name: _________________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________City, State, and Zip Code: __________________________________________________ Phone Number: __________________________________________________________ Please indicate the Amount of Contribution: $20 $50 $100 $200 $300 $400 $500 $750 $1000 $2000 $3000 $5000 $__________ Other ___Please check here if you do not wish to receive future information on how you can partner with us in the mission of serving the world’s orphans.AWAA • 6723 Whittier Avenue • Suite 202 • McLean • VA • 22101 • 800-429-3369 • Fax 703-356-8973

wanna win a makeover? blog that is..

2009-05-04T21:36:00.001-05:00

You will L.O.V.E this blog, BELOVED.. go and leave a comment to be entered for a photo blog makeover!
Good luck and happy bloggin

http://www.ourfamilyjournal.com/2009/05/celebrating-350-posts.html

our precious sarah

2009-04-30T16:39:00.000-05:00

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-30T16:04:00.002-05:00

I am thankful today for many things:
My Lord. My Jesus. My Savior.
My daughter's skilled surgeon.
our daughter waking us at 3 am b/c she was bleeding
our daughter following the Holy Spirit and coming to us at 3 am
God working through Dr R hands and getting the bleeding to stop...after me waking him at 330am. God bless that man!
Friends.
those who pray for my family.
those who volunteer to take the rest of the crew so we can be by sarah's side- and not have to worry
kimberly and glenn for taking our 3 other children at 4 am and still have them so bob and i could take a nap at 3pm
other friends for offering the same service without batting an eye
sarah for being so brave today...especially seeing all the stuff that came out of her throat coated in blood- how scary for an 8 yr old
also, having an IV inserted without pain meds, numbing agent and not crying, complaining or whining while her momma asked if that was a little barbaric.
praying friends and family
family
love
I am most thankful that our daughter is alive, beside me and doing well. And that our Jesus made His presence well known.

dizzy

2009-04-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

I am pretty sure most kids love to get dizzy. And I am pretty sure that some adults are glad we don't do this as adults! but to a sensory kid.. it is .. it is.. magical. It feels good. and from what I read and from what the OT says.. it is GOOD for my girl.

prayer warriors

2009-04-27T15:00:00.002-05:00

Please keep my friends daughter in your prayers. She had surgery today. It was a very complex surgery. The little girl is 5 and newly adopted from China. We are praising God for the wonderful staff and doctors that are handling her case.

making the tax adoption credit permanent

2009-04-25T14:38:00.002-05:00

Please post this everywhere and pass the info.. the adoption credit could go away.. due to expire in 2010.

http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=639

Even if you are not interested in adoption or your family is complete... this is one way you can help other families ease the financial part of the process.

last week photos

2009-04-20T21:19:00.000-05:00

some of my favorite from last week.

sick days

2009-04-20T21:07:00.000-05:00

what the family looks like when we are sick...

2009-04-20T20:50:00.000-05:00

...then he signed it.
Daniel is 4 1/2 yrs old.

Daniels letter to God

2009-04-20T20:49:00.000-05:00

Daniel wanted to write a letter to God. He asked me to help him by writing down what he said..

knee surgery

2009-04-20T07:56:00.001-05:00

did I mention that I had knee surgery last week? On Thursday I went in for a scope. I had an old injury (Mencius tear) that started really bothering me again. It has come and go over the years.. so I thought this may be the perfect time to get a quick fix. Hasn't America become the billboard for quick fixes! The doctor, here on post at Ft Leavenworth does many surgeries per week.. a couple times per week.. He "fixes" a lot of the men and women that come home from war and need ortho care. So Bob and prayed about this doctor and whether or not to have this procedure. We both felt peace and went forward with it. Fortunately, Bob's folks could come out to help where needed - aka: cooking, caring for 4 and then caring for the grownups (me and bob). My MIL had spring break and it was the middle of the month for my FIL (you know accountants can't be gone at end of month!!). Perfect timing. We are moving the first week in June (plenty of time for recovery) again, perfect timing.
My scope went great. In and out, with no problems. On vicadin (sp?)for 24 hours then stopped meds during the day. no problem. walking on leg/knee with no crutches on Saturday. no problem. completely last dose of any meds, Saturday night. awesome.
Suergury//scope went great. thanks to all of you praying (from getting info off faceb*ok)
I am downloading 943 photos from our camera.. so I am sure I will have lots to blog about soon.

Pray for Sarah who will be getting her tonsils out on Thursday.
Pray for our new home in IL, that all the inspections go smoothly/pass and closing goes smoothly.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T23:54:00.002-05:00

Fu Huo Jie!!! (He is risen!!)

May your day be filled with love and blessings. He died for me. He died for you. and HE has risen! Indeed He has!

If you don't know the love of Christ, pls go to the READY button link. HE loves you and desires a relationship with you.

(we have been house hunting and are now on a mini vacation- will return to bloggin soon - oh wait.. i am having knee surgery next Thursday and Sarah is having tonsils out the following week and we move a month later... hhmmm maybe bloggin will be sporadic for a while... )

grateful, thankful and humbled

2009-03-28T23:21:00.003-05:00

do you ever wonder why ... sometimes I do.. sometimes I don't.. I am not going to tell you I don't think about why Drew was born with bi-lateral club feet.. and how humbled I feel to be his mom. I often wonder why God would trust us again with a child that is so amazing.. I wonder if I will mess him up ! :O) I wonder why we were chosen to be a family. I wonder why God blesses my family time and time again ... then I feel very grateful, very thankful and I am brought to my knees in awe of the one who knit us in our mothers womb.. who knew us first.

I received a CD of photos of Drew. The first one is dated a few days before Christmas in 2006. We brought Drew home a few days before Christmas in 2008. I am posting him at 3 months old and his club feet. They are precious. They are broken. They are what brought him to us.

Then i am posting a 'today' photo. showing his feet again. The perfect, straight, smelly feet of our son.

God is ... He is .. I am without words to describe the swell in my heart for my son and the God I love. I am without words b/c none can explain the way I feel for the opportunities now available to Drew. I am without words to thank our maker, our healer, our gracious Lord.

I am amazed and full of joy for God giving doctors the expertise in manipulating a limb.. I am grateful to God for it working on Andrew. I am grateful for this little child.

2009-03-16T00:12:00.000-05:00

who eats an apple while they are on the eliptacal for 20 minutes? why, my daughter does!

2009-03-16T00:02:00.000-05:00

daniel playing ball with daddy.. he has a really good arm!

2009-03-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

hhmmm is she missing the ball b/c her eyes are CLOSED! hahahah

2009-03-15T23:56:00.000-05:00

look ma.. no cast! Out kicking/geocaching with the family.

2009-03-15T23:53:00.000-05:00

out with the family and tabitha geo-caching with a little hiking

2009-03-15T23:51:00.000-05:00

give me some love :O)

2009-03-15T23:50:00.001-05:00

Drew using Tabitha as a road.. he loves his cars!

Our visit with Tabitha

2009-03-15T23:50:00.000-05:00

Tabitha and Drew loving on each other!

2009-03-13T22:12:00.002-05:00

sweet little feet

2009-03-13T21:45:00.005-05:00

Today, Drew had his last casting removed.

It was painful, as a mother, to watch him so scared.. at times mad but mostly sad and scared. He had this pitiful look on his face that was begging me to save him. I wonder if that is what we look like to our Lord? Do we look that pitiful as we ask Him to save us? Is he sad while we are going through the process and then rejoice when we accept him? Today, it was sad, yet when that last particle of casting came off - i cried for joy. I cried for Drew. I cried at all the possibilities that are afforded to him now. I cried knowing that soon.. very soon he will be running. R.U.N.N.I.N.G!!!!!

Tonight Drew was able to soak in a bubble bath. Not a sink, but a TUB. He played and laughed and squealed with delight. I asked him to kick his feet and he looked down then up at me and smiled his killer smile - then kicked and splashed and for a moment- I am not sure who's smile was bigger!

As of tonight, he will not stand on his feet. i am assuming that they are sensitive and tingly. Plus, he has NO muscle tone on those little chicken legs! He loved having us put lotion on today. And didn't' cry or make a fuss when we put the braces on. He is such a little trooper!

Keep him in your prayers as he adjusts to the braces and not being in casts!

Thank you Lord for working out the cost of the braces, the insurance and the kind lady that agreed to cut off his cast.. for FREE. we are blessed.

PS.. Tabitha is staying with us for a couple days :O) and that is her in the first photo with Drew in our home. Then the bath photos. I will post the "feet" tomorrow. I have to pull them of Tabithas camera

happy anniversary honey

2009-03-10T21:39:00.003-05:00

last night (march 9th) we celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary!! So this post is to my beloved Bob.

Bob, I am so blessed that you chose me for your bride, partner, mom to your children, best friend, confidant, and more..

We are so blessed that we both fell in love with Jesus AFTER we were married and in our late 20s! I am thankful for the leader that you are. You keep our family grounded. You strive to do better so you can provide for us. You amaze me at the growth in your walk with our Lord.

I continue to fall in love with you as I see you with our children. You are an awesome father. You have fun with the kiddos, you lead them and you love them deeply.

You take me for who I am. skinny, fat, or inbetween. Long hair, or short hair.. brown hair or with a little highlight.. bummy clothes or nice clothes or somewhere inbetween... you see me. you see my heart. you love me. the inside of me all the way out. you are my biggest supporter - for what ever i may be concocting at that moment.. you make me laugh. laugh hard.

We have made it through some tough stuff.. endometriois, infertility, pregnancy loss, loss of family members, military moves, military deployments, living away from family, BUT we have had really great stuff too. FOUR CHILDREN, awesome foster kids over the years, 15 years together (including our dating years), NEW LIFE in JESUS, watching our daughter fall in love with our Lord, living in fun places, see the world (okay not the world but something like that LOL), having fun, meeting new christian friends, going to couple bible studies, worshiping God together, and of course ... settlers... geo caching... and watching American idol. (i had to add that for your benefit!! )

bottom line.. I love you. I love who you are. I love who you are becoming. I love you.

forever, Jill

Song of Solomon 1:7

tell me O you, whom my soul loves

third and final casting on Drew

2009-03-05T22:39:00.003-06:00

WOOHOO- Drew had his third and last casting put on. I was so BLESSED by our friends Laura and Steve, and also Kimberly and Glen. Laura and her daughter rode up to U of I with Sarah and i (and of course the smiley boy, Drew). Kimberly watched frick and frack.. I mean Daniel and Sophia. A good time was had by all.

Drew currently has a plaster cast on with a fiberglass cast over top. he is H.E.A.V.Y. But he can go very FAST. nothing is stopping him. He is climbing stairs (up and down), crawling faster than anychild I have had and LOVES to 'fall" on my chair. He gets on one arm then swings back and forth then pushes himself off.. to land on his back laughing..

today i found him ( i was preparing lunch) up on his toes, falling forward - b/c of the way his knees are bent - it would make him ROCK. he again, was laughing.

kids are so amazing.. where we, as adults, may say "what! a cast for 6 weeks" - kids just continue to go with the flow and make their own fun!

Daniels video

2009-03-05T01:43:00.005-06:00

I uploaded Daniels video. I mightchange one of the songs.. I REALLY want "HOME" by Daughtry but when I downloaded it from itunes (for a buck!) it is "protected" and One Tr*ue media wouldn't allow it to get off my computer onto their system.. so I will work on that..
if I can't then I will put it in Drews video! Sophia's is at the bottom of the page..

drew and all his sweetness

2009-02-27T18:58:00.002-06:00

drew just saddled up to me, threw his arms around my neck, kissed me and said 'momma, i wuv ooouu'
unsoliciated. OHMYGOSH. this kid.. has me so wrapped.

calling all prayer warriors

2009-02-27T11:54:00.002-06:00

Today I am asking for prayer.

Several of my friends children have had surgery this week and/or preparing for up coming surgeries. Please pray for them.

Daniel and Sarah have the flu. Daniel is puking and Sarah is well.. the other end... Daniel has a temp of 104+.. not keeping anything down... pls pray it ends and also that the rest of us stay healthy. Sarah is on her last day of antibiotics for strep!

Drew to continue todo well in his last casting. And that insurance pays for his bar-brace. They are fighting me right now. it is 800 each time. Insurance wants me to pay 600. We will need new ones each time his feet grow out of them during the 18 months.

Thank you ALL for praying.

for my friends!

2009-02-26T21:24:00.002-06:00

I love this song for so many reasons. The first time I heard it, I thought of Daniel. For his healing, for my healing, for our family healing. I heard it as if I was saying it to him. Then when I really listened to this song, I heard what the artist was saying.. God is speaking to us.

I love this song. I hear of so many of us hurting and healing. I am praying for you.
just in case it doesn't show up:
someone put it on you tube with a little video - i like this one b/c they included the words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J95rAr0gOFU

are you a writer?

2009-02-18T08:43:00.001-06:00

There is a christian conference this summer if you desire to learn more about writing and perhaps publishing. It looks interesting and there are a few of you whom I thought of immediately - not b/c you "need" it but b/c you have over the years expressed interest in book writing, magazine writing ect...
here is the link: http://www.shespeaksconference.com/

happy writing

Drew's second casting

2009-02-17T11:54:00.002-06:00

his visit this time went EXCELLENT. I love love love did I say LOVE the staff at Univ of I. Yesterday we were told good news and it was unexpected this early in the game. I "thought" we would have Drew in DAFO's (feet braces/shoes) for many many many years to come (sophia had to wear hers for two years). in addition to the night brace (the one with the metal bar inbetween) for 2 to 4 years.
Our news: ONE MORE casting! say WHAT. Praise the Lord! We go back on Sunday, appt on Monday (pls pray for me b/c i am going alone and i hate to drive!) Then Drew will be in that cast for 3 weeks. they will fit him for his night time brace during next week's appt. (pls pray our insurance pays for most or all of that.. expensive- 300 to 400 dollars and then when his feet grew.. new braces).
next is a shock but pleasant.. he only has to wear his bar braces for 18 months !!!!!! yes you heard that right! 18 months.. oh but can it get any better???? OH YEA BABY it can. He only has to wear them for 16 hours! and not 23~ SOOOOO that means when we are quieting down at night they go on.. sleep 12 ish hours :O) (i know i am spoiled) then after breakfast we take them off. Then at nap time (again, spoiled b/c he sleeps 2 hours). And that pretty much takes up the time . OKAY there is MORE. He can wear "normal" shoes the rest of the time! My biggest shock. I am so happy for my baby.
I said, in the appt, "Drew, by spring or summer, you can run and jump and ride a tricycle with Daniel!" and Dr M says, "spring? oh no .. in a MONTH he will be able to do all that! "
ALL PRAISES TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!

PS - he does not need anymore surgery.. as his tendons are still tight.. the operation is "messy" and he has too much scar tissue from the surgery in China (typical for a tendon surgery). Dr M says that by 4 or 5ish his tendons should stretch out from playing! woo hoo bring on the recess! :O)
Please continue to pray for Drew as they cut off and put on his last casting. He gets mad and sad and it is not comfortable to him when they turn his feet. or touch him at all. Dr M is amazing and LOVES kids. His beside manner is the best I have seen in a doctor. His nurse Marie is a God-send. She is sooooooooo nice and adores Daniel :O) hehehe

first and most important

2009-02-17T11:22:00.003-06:00

I have to modify this post. Seems that BOTH of my friends were "found out"!

how frustrating. I tried to be discreet. agh.

Please continue to pray for my two girlfriends and their families. God knows their needs.

thanks

Drew's first casting in Iowa

2009-02-10T12:44:00.000-06:00

iowa

2009-02-10T12:33:00.000-06:00

Distraction is the key... or so I thought....

clean bill of health

2009-02-03T22:11:00.003-06:00

Just got a call from the "adoption clinic" doctor in KS City, Children's Mercy. Drew has a clean bill of health. All his shots are good (we did titers) and all the other test came back neg.!! WOOHOO
Also, this Sunday we will be traveling to University of Iowa. We are in the Ponseti clinic! another PRAISE!! Drew will have a series of castings. His surgery was not completely successful in China. Pls be in prayer as we travel each week in Feb and for Drew to have peace.
thanks!

2yr GOTCHA

2009-02-01T16:54:00.000-06:00

Dearest Daniel,
On Friday, the 30th we celebrated you. We celebrated the fact that you have been a Shelton for 2 years. You have had a family for 2 years, a family that will never leave you, that will always love you, a family that you are a part of for such a short time but feels like since you were born. You are our son. You are the first little boy that I have loved as my son. I was once vry close with my two nephews when they were little and it was then I loved the idea that I too could have a son.. you made that possible. While it has be a LONG road, a hard road.. you are worth it. I have been on my knees many times for God to soften your heart and heal your pains. For you to trust me. For you to love me. Slowly, the love came. the trust came. and MAN oh MAN it came. You are the sweetest little boy! The anger is gone. The kind, "helper", sweet, compassionate little boy is here!
Thank you Daniel for trusting me, for loving me, for calling me momma.
Thank you for bringin me to my knees and allowing Christ to grow me in ways that I didnt' think i would make it through. Thank you for being who you are and teaching me to love the unlovable (then not now). Thank you for allowing me to learn what a parent is all about: unconditional love.
I love you so much Daniel. i love you so much I can't even explain the deep love I have for you. You are my first son. You are my buddy. You are my heart.
happy 2nd gotcha day.

New Life in Jesus.

2009-02-01T15:58:00.006-06:00

Sarah asked Jesus into her life 2 1/2 years ago. During this time we have seen her grow and continue to love and be excited about Jesus. Today she said, in part of her testimony that she wrote this week, " my prayer is that more people fall in love with Him. I love Jesus so much."

Pls include her in your prayers. And for us, her parents, to lead by example, the righteousness of Christ.

and lastly I thought I would include the last photo.... with Sophia HOLDING her DRESS up... oh brother.. it wouldn't be the Sheltons without something .... :O)

2009-01-29T22:51:00.001-06:00

misc. photos

2009-01-29T22:44:00.004-06:00

LOL

2009-01-29T22:24:00.002-06:00

Daniel told his speech therapist yesterday "my brother doesn't like our sisters. He likes me best. My mom is my best friend. She is so pretty."

OKAY lets laugh about the whole sister thing.. right now anyway.. and focus on the later.. I AM HIS BEST FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, tomorrow is our 2 year Gotcha/Family/Adoption Day! and HE FINALLY LIKES ME!! NO what HE LOVES ME! what a LONG two years.. thank you friends who have prayed for our family. Thank you God for keeping me focused on you and seeing Daniel the way YOU see him. For softening my heart towards my son and letting the love flow!

I AM HIS BEST FRIEND!!!!!!!!!! :O)))))))

Gung hoy fat choy... or something like that..

2009-01-27T23:28:00.002-06:00

Happy Chinese New Year!!

We had a blast last night at a friends. here are some photos from her camera.. i will post mine -oh you know.. next year... LOL

2009-01-26T00:11:00.000-06:00

more fun at the park

2009-01-26T00:05:00.000-06:00

daniel ask ' sarah, are you sure this is safe'. sarah replies, ' uumm oh yea.. and really fun'...

2009-01-26T00:04:00.000-06:00

more laughing.. is this child ever not laughing?

2009-01-26T00:01:00.000-06:00

taking advantage of a warm day.. went to the park.

2009-01-26T00:00:00.000-06:00

favorite photo of the day... sophia flying through the air.. free and laughing. She loves the swings.

2009-01-25T23:56:00.000-06:00

this one is for Alice.. what a novel concept.. to put your babies in ONE swing so you only have to push once... heheheh (just a random family at the park)

2009-01-25T23:53:00.000-06:00

2009-01-25T23:52:00.000-06:00

I never thought our family tree would be full of miracles... thank you God for blessing me beyond my prayers!

2009-01-25T23:49:00.000-06:00

beginning teachings of safe ice and not so safe...

2009-01-25T23:48:00.000-06:00

playing on the ice after Bob taught them the "safety part" .. we can count this as a home school moment right?!! LOL

2009-01-23T10:25:00.000-06:00

On the left is the original design from Sarah's "design lesson book". On the right is how she free handed the left side. I think it is really good ( i am her mom!) . She is always drawing something. I hope our summer move coincides with a good art summer camp this year!

fashion "project"

2009-01-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

2009-01-23T10:20:00.000-06:00

This is Sarah and what she looks like for school.. every morning she "dresses up ". She is our little fashion designer. the next several photos are of her are making a fashion notebook and one of her many fashion designs.

2009-01-23T10:12:00.000-06:00

my motive for the yummy snack found out! How to make this snack: place a ritz cracker on a cookie sheet.. then the peanut butter then a big marshmellow. broil in oven until top of marshmellow is turning light brown. Wait to serve the kids for a few moments b/c the inside is very hot. YUM-O!

2009-01-23T10:09:00.000-06:00

first bite..

2009-01-23T10:08:00.000-06:00

what is this?? My mom use to give this "treat" to us when I was a kid. It is GREAT for sensory kids.. aka: Sophia. it is oowey and gooey and perfect for her.. and me.. that is before the peanut butter recall.. again.

inside fun on cold days..

2009-01-23T00:29:00.005-06:00

So excited!

2009-01-23T00:10:00.002-06:00

I wish I could explain to you in bloggy land all that has happen today... what I can tell you is that God is ALIVE and MOVING!

TWO people contacted me today to pray for them. One we will call "d" and the other we will call "E". I would love to ask for prayers for them. They are in the midst of miracles happening.

Please, I know it is sometimes hard to remember to pray for the unknown but these ladies need MANY praying.

I will share as I am told I can.

I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE GOD"S PLAN UNFOLD FOR THESE TWO DIFFERENT FAMILIES!!!!!!!!!!!!

HELP - house fire- pls read

2009-01-14T22:22:00.002-06:00

Please go to http://www.aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/

This is a blog I LOOOOOVEE to go to. Linn is amazing.
Her house caught fire TODAY and they lost everything material. Praising God that the children are safe and alive.

Please go and find out how you can pray or donate.. her buddy is posting updates and there is a link to brainstorm what we can do..

cupcakes and giggles

2009-01-05T22:31:00.005-06:00

oh the sound of children eating cupcakes.. it is this side of heaven!
I included a quick video. When I rounded the corner the ooohhh and aaahhhh's from Drew were so funny. Bob said.. hhmm do you know what these are? laughing.. At Shepherds Field, they celebrate birthday months with yummy cake so .... this is not a first for him but I bet carrot cake with creamcheese frosting IS a first for him/?? who knows and frankly, who cares.. the giggles are what matter now. :O)
enjoy~

okay stay tuned... an error message is coming up.. telling me to go post the video on youtube!well our youtube acount is "myheartinchina" so you can go there if you wanna.. i will keep trying here... sorry

what can we do?

2009-01-03T21:55:00.002-06:00

Pray of course..

i guess it is okay to paste and copy something off FB if the conversation was open and between me and another??

This is Tim Baker talking about the van at Shepherds Field/ PHF. Will you commit this request to prayer ...perhaps even donate a little (or lot) to them?? You can donate online www.chinaorphans.org and I know they would love if you could remember them in your prayer life. thank you..

"yea...but u know we will have to retire this van along with the other 2 Ford vans before May 1 2009. The Chinese gov will not allow this old of a vehicle to drive into Beijing after May 1. Please keep this need in your prayers."

black eyes and faces in concrete...

2009-01-02T21:08:00.003-06:00

So i like to think that i have well behaved children... today I put them in the back yard and said "don't come in until you are sweating with red faces and out of breath". :O) I also said, you need the Vitiman D. :0)

umm yea.. i heard high pitched screams.. well it could only be daniel or sarah.. hehehe seriously. it was daniel. see i told you.

I ran outside, and I am seeing Sophia ON TOP of her brother RUBBING his FACE on the CONCRETE. are you kidding me? Daniel is crying and sophia is saying "I told you NO". I run over and pull her off and then she cries.. sure she does.. off to bed she goes.

what are you thinking?

Then about an hour later Sarah's turn. She comes running in and says MY EYE MY EYE. I did include a photo for you.. which doesn't even do her eye justice. Evidently, Sarah and Daniel were playing "Surviorman and surviorwoman " (i tried hard not to laugh)... and somehow the soccer goal ended up in her face. .. lol.. so she has this goose egg - more like a robin size egg right below her eye. and NOW it is turning BLUE. ohmygosh. I always thought my kids first black eye would be one of the boys.. not my daughter.. LOL

on the bright side.. did you SEE that child's eyelashes? ! beautiful.

memories and gratefulness

2009-01-01T21:13:00.003-06:00

I am reading our favorite magazine tonight. It came in the mail the other day and I have been planning a night to devour it. I use to bring it to dental and doctor appts and while the children read or played, I would get in what I could. .. now that Drew is home - life will be different for a while.. a good different but we certainly have a "baby/toddler" in the home again!

Our favorite magazine is DJ. Discipleship Journal, helping you grow in Christ. http://www.discipleshipjournal.com/

In issue 169, Jan/Feb09, page 64, article Buried Treasure by Miriam Z. Walsh I have found a new way to "journal". She says, look for God in your family stories. The article talks about not just journaling what has happen in your life but talk about what God did in that situation. I have one journal that is about me as a mom, me as a girl growing up and me as a person. This is for my children later in life. Not to be seen now but later. I have another journal for each child that is hand written while I waited for them.. whether through pregnancy with Sarah or the adoptions of Sophia, Daniel and Drew. Each one is just for them. about me while I anticipated their arrivals. Within those journals, there are scriptures, tears, laughter and how God was working through me. I never intended to write in any particular way, it was just a form of conversation to my child to tell them how very much they are loved. Looking back it is also telling them how God had/has a hand in their life and mine.

I enjoyed this article b/c it gives me more thought on journaling. I want to journal family stories now (uh, kinda like a blog LOL) to be me AND bob. :O) and facebook doesn't count honey. :O)))

The author suggest guidelines for each event that would be noteworthy to write down: What specifically happened (being specific lends to the beauty of the story) and include your feelings; How did God work on our behalf; what did we learn about God? She also says to keep it handy so you are more willing to write in it often.

For quite some time we, as a family kept a "blessings box". there were pre-cut cardstock in there and any of us felt that we were blessed we would write down the blessing and put it in there. I began to keep prayer request in there as well. sometimes extra money that we were blessed with. I love that little green box. At the end of the year, I would go through them and remember the incidents and always smile b/c it taught me that no matter what, God is good. It also reminded me of happenings throughout the year that I would not have remembered.

My next step.. Bob and I agreeing what would be noteworthy things that happen in our life (over the last 15 years) together where we can convey to our children about our awesome God we serve and how He has been present in our lives, the third strand in our braid.

blessings to you and your family

HAPPY NEW YEAR

by the way.. i posted a cartoon.. not that it particularly pertains to this post but b/c it is funny and describes our life :O)

Kansas Severe Weather Alerts, Watches, Warnings - weather.com

2008-12-26T23:19:00.000-06:00

Kansas Severe Weather Alerts, Watches, Warnings - weather.com

tornado watch..

2008-12-26T23:14:00.002-06:00

are you kidding me? Daniel asked if we would have storms tonight.. i said maybe. then sarah asked if we are going to sleep in the basement tonight.. i said. no honey - no tornados this time of year.. AGH> the weather channel has "tornado watch until 5 am" ! agh AGH AGH seriously? I say to bob, lets have a game plan.. you grab sophia and daniel under both arms and get them down. i will grab the baby while yelling for sarah and then go to get them down.. he laughed at me. :O0

merry CHRISTmas, happy HOLY day

2008-12-25T20:26:00.002-06:00

I love this time of year.. this year has been extra special in our family as God blessed us with one more miracle. Drew came home.
I love the Christmas music.. b/c through out the year, as we or I listen to the music it is mostly about me.. how it makes me feel. how i praise God with the music b/c of my feelings.. of course it is about him but it is mostly about how he comforts me, how he loves me and how he makes it all better... but at Christmas time.. it is ALL about Him - praising him, loving him, in awe of him. His birth, him as a child, and the special night - tonight.
I hope that in the coming year i can do a better job at praising him b/c of him and not about me at all..
I pray you all have the best Christmas !

I got the best news EVER, okay I have had the best news ever a couple times this year but this is REALLY GOOD.. our friends, whom I have asked for prayer for.. got word TODAY that they will leave on JAN 9 for their daughter in Vietnam!!!! This sweet little girl is three and has the BEST family waiting for her!! PRAISE THE LORD for this wonderful news!

circle...

2008-12-21T23:05:00.000-06:00

Sarah Grace asked if we could go to the beach and make our circle photo complete. :O) too cute.. so I told her we didn't have to go to the beach (even though our temps reached a whopping high of "O" today).. so here is my little circle... that is very BIG. I love being a mom!

and then..

2008-12-21T23:00:00.000-06:00

the look.. yes, THE look.. momy why oh why did you take me out.. who cares that my lips are purple! I love it in there, please put me back in...

splish splash i was taking a bath

2008-12-21T22:58:00.001-06:00

Drew has so much fun in the bath!

oh Christmas time oh Christmas time...

2008-12-21T22:50:00.000-06:00

Have you ever tried to take a Christmas photo with more than one child? how about with one of those sweet children being a perfectionist? and then melting down b/c the sweet little baby won't sit still and the other sweet girl is making funny sounds under her breathe and the sweet little boy is smiling too hard and making the grouchy parents laugh? we will try again tomorrow..

Our circle is VERY complete.

2008-12-20T23:36:00.004-06:00

I am so happy, overjoyed, excited, exhausted, humbled, and thrilled to tell you that we are home and all together. The photo of the kids in the car was our drive home on Friday from STl after picking up the girls. I turned around and sucked the air out of the van! It was a beautiful site. Seeing all the seats used up.. once a upon a time there was a girl.. who wanted to be a mommy.. but it took a very long time and some wonderful yet hard lessons from her Father in Heaven.. then she turned around one day and smiled.. there were FOUR beautiful faces smiling back..

I am so sorry that I haven't posted in a bit. Bob started posting on FB and he posted something like 400 photos! and video ! So I laughed and just played with the boys instead of posting here or on the journey site. :O0

Today I walked into my living room and I saw bliss. I saw a picture of God's love and His plan fulfilled. it was undescriblable. But I did grab the camera and try to capture what MY bliss looks like. (the photo with everyone in the floor)

I hope you enjoy the photos. The one of Drew asleep on Bob is just awesome. I have one with all the children at that age sleeping on him.. THANKYOU GOD FOR MY FAMILY.

Next post will be of our journey on our journey to me site. It is how Drew came into our family. all the details of how God planned it from the start and changed our hearts to adopt once more.

Please pray for our family as we get over jetlag and mesh. I don't know why but I never really suffer from jet lag after the first day. But the rest of the family.. hehehe it is rough for them. maybe it is b/c i have to take care of babies everywhere! woohoo.

MANDY and other sponsors of Drew

2008-12-12T04:29:00.002-06:00

I was beyond thrilled to hear from one of Drew's other sponsors today! We hope to get in touch with all of them and provide periodic updates on our sweet little boy. We really feel this is also important for Drew.

So we would like to have you contact us (Mandy - hint hint) at sheltoncrew6@gmail.com and we can exchange our address'.

Hopefully this will be okay. :O)

Praising G.od for Drew and those who have prayed for him for so long. God bless you.

pray

2008-12-11T05:31:00.002-06:00

This little child in the blue vest and red pants has a story and he has a name. He was brought back to life with love. He was beat, tortured and more. He tasted death and evil and survived. He has gone through more in his little life than most see in a movie or read in a book or worse experieince themselves. He is Go.d's child and he was saved. I would love to ask you to pray for him, daily, hourly. May God earse his mind of the evil he has seen, felt, heard, and experienced. May Go.d heal him, emotionally, physically and use him to peirce the hearts of others for G.od. may this child live to tell others of the love of jiaozuo swi and how they saved him. Go.d bless those who have touched his life in positive ways and given him a second chance. Jehovah Jehovah we cry out to you.

more precious little ones

2008-12-11T04:18:00.001-06:00

more of Jz

2008-12-11T04:13:00.002-06:00

For our JZ group

2008-12-11T04:05:00.002-06:00

These next few photos are for the mommies and daddies (and siblings) waiting on their children. They have all mostly (i am sure some little ones in here are still waiting to be adopted! hint hint) been matched and their families are waiting to travel.. I know how priceless this was for me so I hope you know that I send this with love.

laughing laughing and more laughing

2008-12-10T01:12:00.002-06:00

Drew says, Hello and I love you :O)

2008-12-10T00:53:00.003-06:00

do you love him?

2008-12-08T19:50:00.004-06:00

I was asked by the Civil Affairs Offiical " do you love him? I felt like saying " well duh" but the only thing that came out was yes yes i love him very much.. and in my head.. ""as if !""

the wonder of it all ..

2008-12-08T19:46:00.000-06:00

SWI today

2008-12-08T18:45:00.002-06:00

today we are going to Jiaozou SWI. We will pay our donation and other notarized fees in addition to visiting the Orphanage.
Our guide said we will be allowed to go to Drew's finding place today. This is always a hard thing for me emotionally. But very necessary for our children if given the chance. We have been given that opporutniy twice, with our sons. Unfortunatley, we were unable for Sophia.
We pray that the love of Jesus comes over Anmin's birthparents and that they are told of the Gospel. We pray that we see all our children's parents once again, in heaven.

Romans 15:13

2008-12-07T15:38:00.003-06:00

May the G.od of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope bythe power of the Holy Spirit

trying a little video..

2008-12-07T03:36:00.002-06:00

I have to thank KAREN for letting us use her flip video thngy.. I LOVE IT. it is so easy and just uploads asap to your computer! so here is a little clip.. you can see more on our youtube.com site under "myheartinchina'

Loveyou guys! thanks for your continued prayers for our family.

2008-12-07T03:25:00.000-06:00

2008-12-07T03:21:00.001-06:00

photos of children at PHF

2008-12-07T03:02:00.001-06:00

photos for friends

2008-12-07T02:52:00.002-06:00

WOOHOO

2008-12-01T22:33:00.002-06:00

We are leaving tomorrow to STL!! Then on Wed to China.

go to our journeytome site to see us meet drew! woohoo

please keep us in your prayers. and our girls who will be with friends.

love to all
jill
http://www.phfauction.blogspot.com/ this is an auction for PHF and all proceeds will go to benefit an orphan ! go see all the cool items up for grabs!

IT WORKED!

2008-11-24T12:08:00.002-06:00

Thank you all for your prayers!

We are now leaving on the correct day and don't have to pay the 250 pp charge.

I prayed all night and morning. I wanted to be calm and polite. Thank you God for changing my heart this morning.. from anxious and sobbing to calm and knowing that you are in complete control.
I am also thankful that everything was worked out before I called and when I did call.. had the right attitude.

THANKYOU FOR PRAYING!
I thank God for you all.
J~

OMGOSH PLS PRAY FOR ME

2008-11-23T16:16:00.002-06:00

okay I am trying to trust and believe that this is all going to work out.

The travel agent booked our TICKETS WRONG. She booked them for the wrong DAY. I called Continental and they said the travel agent has to fix it.. and oh by the way there is a change fee of 250 per person..
After I sobbed, begged and pleaded.. she said.. sorry byebye.

It is Sunday so i can't get intouch with our travel agent.. I left a message and emailed them.

Please pray this gets fixed and either no one pays the fee or the travel company picks that one up.
Oh Lord, help us.

plane tickets

2008-11-22T10:06:00.002-06:00

Thank you all for prayers for being able to use our free tickets with NW. We were unable to use them... sigh. But we trust God and believe that the money will come.

Our plane tickets were/are 5154$. We are short 5154. We have enough for everything else (all china fees and hotels ect.. )

Would you consider going to our fundraiser and Christmas shop? It is through our friend Wendy Staub. It is a pampered chef fundraiser and we are getting all the profits.

Thank you. and if you are unable , your prayers are worth waaaaaay more..

J~

my niece "J"

2008-11-22T09:03:00.002-06:00

This is my sweet little niece, "J". Sometimes when we pray, if we can just see the person's face.. it helps us make the person real.. please pray for her and family. thank you all so much. isn't she beautiful!

CA confirmed

2008-11-21T16:50:00.002-06:00

I am very excited. Our CA was confirmed in less than 24 hours! Praise the Lord!!!!

We leave on the 3rd Dec. CA on the 16th, and arrive in the states (STL to pick up girls) on the 18th.. home on the 19/20th.

CAN WE SAY we are a littttttlllllleee excited and it feels like a whirlwind (as it always does).. and oh by the way.. TICKETS are BOOKED.

This weekend I will complete our trip preparations. Next week I will concentrate on Thanksgiving and my children.
Next weekend, on Sat I will be decorating the house for Christmas.. Sunday I will clean and finish packing and on Monday.. resting .. hahha

This is really happening... dreams do come true!

2008-11-20T12:27:00.002-06:00

As I rejoice my sisters heart is breaking.. what a mix of emotions today.

As we adopt our "sn" children, we look for needs (or have a calling) that "we" can work through, live with, adjust to, simply doesn't have any effect on us, or have a "heart" for. We have time to research and come to terms with the process.. find doctors, nurses and know how to plan financially.. we pray for our children and pray that their Sn is what God uses to reach others.
When a child is born with a Sn, the family really doesn't have that process.. We trust God and believe He will get us through. Yet in a way, we are robbed of the process. there is no right or wrong way, there is no better way, it just is. We are stretched in a way that is uncomfortable.
Please pray for my sister and family as they process the diagnosis they just received. Please pray for the emotions they will and go through.

please pray for wisdom and strength and healing on her family. please include my mom, the worrier of the family as well.. in addition to our whole family.

just thinking out loud...

oh happy day

2008-11-20T12:24:00.003-06:00

GIVE ME A TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
GIVE ME A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

what do you get???

TA BABY!!!!!!!!!

leaving on the 3rd. Does anyone know a travel agent?? or some deal maker?
tickets are at 1000 each and drew at 2K WHAAT??
miles if used are limited spacing...
so many decision in a 24 hour period.. we are sitting at 14 day if you count today!