Random Pictures...Trying to Catch-Up...Will I Ever?

Well, it's been almost two weeks since my last post...I think. Anyway, I am trying to get caught up on my posting. I'm not sure if that will ever happen, but I am at least making an effort. On May 18, 2011 we went for our second visit to the International Adoption Clinic. We had a good, (but long) time there. We were there a little over three hours! The first person we saw was the Behavioral Therepist. She kept on saying how great Betsy was doing. She said she was very pleased with how well she is adjusting. We still have had no sleep issues, which I believe is a miracle. I thank God everyday for how well she is doing. The therepist said not to be surprised if Betsy starts to have some  behavior issues now that we have been home for several weeks , and is learning her boundries. She definately "tests the waters". I am trying to be firm, but loving. To be honest some days it is hard! She is learning so much...she is a very smart little girl. Her English is getting better and better. It seems like she is learning something new everyday. She is mostly putting 2-3 words together right now...not many full sentences. She will say..."Hello Mama, how you doing?" (I think she says it a million times a day!) She is losing her Chinese a little everyday too. It is sad to me. Some things that she would only say in Chinese she will now only say in English. She will say"Brush your teeth", "Betsy take a bath", and "Mama be right back...just a minute"....she is so cute! Betsy loves her brothers and sister. She also loves to boss everyone around...especially Henry;) Sometimes he lets her, sometimes he doesn't! haha While we were at the clinic we also saw the Developmental Therepist. She sat down with Betsy and got her to string beads together, copy shapes that she drew, put different shaped blocks in a box...matching the shapes as she went along, and picture read a book with her. She was very encouraging and said Betsy is above the average internationally adopted child her age. The therepist gave me some good teaching tips to help Betsy in areas where she is delayed. In some areas she does things on a three year old level, most areas she is about like a four year old, but alot of things are right on target for her age(which is five). I'm not sure if I have mentioned this before, but at Betsy's orphanage the Half the Sky organization came in 2007 and really made some great changes. The therepists along with Dr. Kiser, one of the clinics physicians, said this was one of the main reasons Betsy was transitioning well. They said it also explains why her delays are minimal. She had alot of individual care and attention. After the last therepist left Dr. Kiser came in and talked to us for a few minutes, then sent us to have labwork done. Betsy had an ultrasound and had about seven vials of blood taken. Let me just say she doesn't like needles! She cried and cried and Todd and I both had to hold her still. I felt so sorry for her. This was at the end of a very long visit!! We got through, and went to McDonald's.:) We will go back for a six month visit. I am so thankful for this precious little girl. She is awesome! We are having so much fun with her. She is very energetic, funny, and much louder than anyone else at our house(except maybe Hugh!) haha We feel so blessed that the Lord allowed us to be her parents. I look at her and just can't believe we have her with us. We are truly thankful!

Betsy's second visit to the IAC.

Waiting for Dr. Kiser.

Betsy and Ba Ba(daddy) coloring while we wait.



Hugh with his friends at Field Day...Cole, Colby, and Hirueya.



Hugh at the Karate station.

Ellie running a relay race...almost there!

Tug-of-War...go Ellie go!!

Ellie and her sweet friend Lily.

First swim of the season goes to Hugh. He went to a friends B'day party.

Henry and Betsy...he's going along with it, but not sure if he has a choice!

Sweet babies:)

Ellie and me after Awards Day. All the fifth graders gave their moms roses. Ellie bought it with her own money...it was a surprise:)

Ellie loves being a big sister to Betsy.

"New Post"...FINALLY!!

 I am glad to have a moment to post some pictures and give a little update too! I really want to continue to blog to keep up with Betsy's first year at home. We have been so busy lately that it has been hard to keep up to date with what we are doing. We have been to the dentist three times in the past three weeks. Betsy had to get three fillings, got an infection, and as a result had to have a tooth pulled! We have also been to the International Adoption Clinic twice. Betsy is doing great! The therepists at the clinic were very encouraging. She is adjusting really well. We are continually amazed by this little girl! More than anything we are Amazed by our God who brought this sweet girl into our lives:) We give Him all the glory!!

Betsy is showing off the balloon she got at her first dentist visit.

Betsy's first trip to the IAC. It was April 27 the day all the tornados hit Alabama.

This is one very sleepy little girl!

Badmitton anyone?

Having fun at Granny's the day before Mother's Day.

This girl loves the phone!

Betsy and Sam riding the golf cart at Granny's.

Cousins Holly, Becca, and Katie meeting Betsy for the first time.

Nathan, Sam, and Hugh(back row) Morgan, Holly, Ellie, Henry, Becca, Maddie, and Betsy

Me with my mother on Mother's Day:)

I am so thankful for these precious children!

Happy Birthday Ellie!! Ellie turned eleven on May 10, 2011.

Betsy and Ellie

Ellie's birthday cupcake and ice cream.

Fingerpainting Fun!

Betsy loves to paint.

Henry working on his masterpiece.

Easter 2011

Well, here we are the day after Mother's Day, and I am  posting about Easter! I have alot of catching up to do. My computer has not been working exactly right since the storms. I have attempted to post a couple of times, but had trouble. Ok...back to Easter. We enjoyed a beautiful Easter Sunday:) Betsy and I went to church for the first time since we had been home from China. What a great day to go!! Betsy and I sat in the balcony with my parents. She did great! Betsy loves to sing, so when the music began she stood up and started clapping her hands with the rest of us! I can't tell you how good it was to worship with my church family on Easter Sunday. Also, to have my parents and my daughter with me was just icing on the cake:) When the choir came out I got tears in my eyes. I love to sing in the choir! I truly missed being in the choir loft with everyone. It was such an awesome worship service. At one point I was standing, singing, and holding Betsy. I looked at her and she was so happy. As I looked into her eyes on this wonderful ressurection day the Lord reminded me of some words from a song by Steven Curtis Chapman. In the song he says... "I saw the face of Jesus on a little orphan girl. She was standing in a corner on the other side of the world." He goes on to sing..."what now, what will you do now that you found me, what now, what will you do with this treasure you found"? I was holding in my hands a precious little treasure, a gift from God. I knew at that moment I was looking into the very heart of God. He loves the orphan...he is a Father to the Fatherless! Praise God!!! What was even more wonderful that day was that the precious treasure I was holding was my daughter! She was an orphan no more!! I felt like the Lord was also asking what will you do now? WOW...what I want more than anything is to show her the love of Christ. I pray that Todd and I will be faithful in doing this with all of our children. So, what is the Lord asking you to do today? Is there something he has laid on your heart? Do you feel him calling you to defend the orphan? Pray that God would reveal to you exactly how he wants you to do this. Maybe it's through adoption, helping an adoptive family, raising awareness of the orphan crisis, or praying. There are so many thing we can do. One thing I know for a fact is that we are ALL, as christians, called to defend the orphan in some way. Have a blessed day:)    



Betsy showing off her new swim skirt cover up...kept saying beautiful!



Henry showing off his Woody/Buzz flip flops.

Betsy loved counting the dyed eggs! She did it MANY times:)

Betsy and Henry...off to hunt eggs!

Betsy and Papa

Betsy put a sticker on her nose and thought it was so funny:)

Nana, Papa, and "The Gang"

One Week Ago...

Alabamians were hit by tornados that completely devestated many communities. Lives were changed forever. I have wanted to post my Easter weekend pictures and a couple of other things, but really felt compelled to say something about the terrible storms that passed through Alabama last week. Thankfully we were without power for about 1 1/2 days. Many people that live in the same town as we do were without power for as many as 5 days (maybe more...that's the longest I know about). It has been on every page of the paper, and of course on the news. My aunt and her son along with his two children had two large trees fall on their home, and lost both of their cars. The small community of Hackleburg which is just a few miles from where Todd grew up was completely destroyed! There are story after story of loss. The town of Phil Campbell, where friends from our church grew up and have family there, was hit extremely hard...blown away! One thing that prevails in all of these stories is the grace of God! These people have essentially lost everything, but they continue to give glory to God, and thank him for what they do have. It is a blessing to hear these stories of hope in the midst of great loss! If you are able to help in any way please do. You can call the governor's disaster info hotline @ 1-866-465-2241, contact the American Red Cross, or The Salvation Army (you can call 1-800-SAL-ARMY or text "GIVE" to make a $10 donation). I know anything you do would be greatly appreciated:) More than anything, please pray as people began to rebuild and move forward.

A Trip to the Country and Home Two Weeks!!

Betsy and her Gu Gu

Yes...we're still here! I really have missed posting. Last week it was just hard to find the time, so here's a little of what has been going on at our house. Last Saturday we took a quick trip to Granny's house (Todd's mother). The week before had been spring break and Granny along with Aunt Dee (Todd's sister) came for a visit. Sam and Hugh went home with them and stayed a couple of days. Saturday morning we all got ready and went to Granny's for the day to pick up Sam and Hugh and also let Betsy meet some more family members. Granny lives in the country a little over an hour from where we live. Betsy had been asking for her Gu Gu, which means brother in Chinese. She was talking about Sam. She really loves Sam and enjoys playing with him. When we arrived at Granny's house and she saw Sam she went right to him and started crying. She held on to him and would not let go!! She really missed him. It was so sweet to see her with her big brother:) While we were at Granny's she met cousin Maddie (Todd's sister's daughter). She had to warm up to Maddie. I think it was just because she was in a new environment. Maddie brought her an American Girl Doll she had won from a fundraising auction at school. Betsy was very interested in the doll and that was Maddie's way in! I never got a good picture of Betsy, Maddie, and the doll. All Betsy wanted to do was dress and undress the doll. She did this several times!! We had a fun visit and Betsy also met Uncle Jim, Aunt Ann, and Aunt Louise. Monday Sam, Ellie, and Hugh went back to school and we were back in full swing. We are all doing well, and Betsy continues to amaze us with what she is learning. She can say hello, good-bye, yes, no, please, thank you, just a minute, how are you, she can sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star ( half English, half Chinese), she can say her numbers to ten, excuse me, can say all the kids names, calls herself Betsy Miao Miao, says all done when she is finished eating, and has started to call me mommy instead of mama. One more thing...she said I Love You Mama the other day( this one is my favorite, of course!) Literally she says or does something new everyday. We love her so much and are enjoying getting to know more about her. I have posted a few random pictures. Can't believe we have already been home two weeks! Hope you all have a safe and Happy Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ!!

Cousin Maddie and Betsy with her new doll.

Maddie and Betsy

Silly Girl:)

Hugh, Betsy, and Daddy (Todd was shining his shoes for church:)



Henry playing on the swingset.



Betsy loves to swing, but not too high!