Attending the Ball at the Grand Floridian

More Fun from Walt Disney World!

Merry Christmas! And we're Back from Disney!

We had an incredible time- we really hated to pack up and come home. The weather was especially nice, but we just had alot of fun. Thank you, too, to Hal and Angel for inviting us to stay over nite with them on the way down. We love to see our friends- we just hate to say goodbye! Meighan did so well with the characters. Our favorite was Mulan. She was so sweet to our little China girl!

Winter's Come Early

We usually don't get too excited here in the northeast about snow- the most our school kids and techers can hope for is a 2 hour delay. This is what we got overnight last Thursday into Friday. The result- a full fledged SNOW DAY!

Role Reversals

Well, this week has been one of highs and lows. On Tuesday I was offered a full time position working as a home health care nurse and on wednesday my husband was laid off from his job.

All in all~ we see the hand of God providing for our needs in perfect time. We could see the writing on the wall for his job, so that is why I pursued a full time position in the first place.

We were going to have to put Meighan in daycare which I thought she probably would greatly enjoy, now she gets to spend some quality time with her dad and we save some money in the process! It will make leaving on Monday morning so much easier.

I will be a blogging slacker for a while until I catch a grip on what working full time outside the home is like. Maybe I should make updating the blog one of Ken's daily responsibilities! :>)

I start on Monday morning, wish me luck, and I'll try to post soon!

I'm Back

I have a very good reason for why I have not been blogging! I am 5 days post op from having my gall bladder removed, and I will leave it at that for fear that I've already played the "too much information" game. Thank goodness for helpers and prescription pain pills; because having surgery HURTS!

Trick-or-treat

Trick-or-treat night was just awful! It was cold and there was still some wet snow hanging around, so Meighan went to about 4 houses and we headed back to my dad's house where we had had dinner together. Kara and my 2 nieces, Jillian and Ellie, went all around the neighborhood having a great time.

The houses we did go to Meighan had a blast. She said something that resembled "trick-or-treat" and politely said thank you.

First Snow

Sorry for my tardiness of late, but here are some pictures from about a week and a half ago. This was a couple of days before Halloween. Please keep the snow in mind when I post the Haloween pix- you'll understand our lack of fun that night.

Meighan, for one, enjoyed the snow. The rest of us...not so much! She had a great time playing outside, and she screamed when it was time to come in. So much work putting on all of those clothes! But SO cute in them.

A Family's Committment to Adoption~From ESPN

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Angel from Blessed With Four. I'd put the link in, but I don't know how. I have to tag 7 other people then tell you all of the weird and creepy things about me that you are dying to find out.

I am just getting ready to go to work, so you will have to check back for all of the exciting details!

Here is Where I Stand

I am a Conservative at heart. Those principals are what I believe has made our nation magnificient. I am not willing to let them go.

I am concerned about the economy, for sure, but more important than that, I am concerned with who will be my son's Commander-in Chief. MY son is voluntarily planning a military career. It is now very personal to ME. I do not want a president who believes our troops are killing and plundering in the middle of the night or who has questionable dealings with PLO-Israel hating, far-left Marxist leaning, domestic terrorists friends~ and he doesn't have to answer to it. That is NOT ok with me.

I am tired of the media circling the wagons around Barak Obama, so he is never faced with answering the hard questions of being accountable. He may be a very nice person, but you are known by the company you keep. Joe the Plumber, a private citizen who asked a hard question, has gotten more of a probing in the media than Senator Obama. That is not OK with me.

I want someone in the White House who values life and will protect it. Period.

You may not agree with me and that's ok. I am just a Pennsylvania soccer mom letting you know what is on my mind. ***These are MY thoughts alone and not necessarily the thoughts of anyone who is associated with me in any way.**

Way To Go Eagles!!!!!

Christopher's senior soccer season ended today with the French Creek Valley Christian School Eagles finishing first in the league and taking first place in the league tournament! He had a great time, and I know he wishes time would go a little slower so he could enjoy his senior year a little more. He is under a great deal of pressure trying to keep up with his class work, play sports, finish his Eagle Scout project, and try to get an appointment to the United States Naval Academy! WHEW! I'm outta breath! Please pray for this young man.

Back in the Picture Taking Business!!!!

Isn't it a beauty? We absolutely love this new camera. It has lightning fast shutter speed, and I can't wait to post some new pictures. Thanks for all your help and suggestions!

Do you love to get a deal? I do!

A fellow Christian World Adoption mom has a blog that is totally about getting the most for your dollar. It is awesome! Check out the link to her blog, look especially at her entry from Saturday for free O*MA*HA Steak burgers. I did it and got 20 burgers for $1.98!!! Now, that is stretchin' the old dollar!


Go to www.thecoupongame.blogspot.com

McLane Church::Erie County, Pennsylvania - Media Week 3

McLane Church::Erie County, Pennsylvania - Media

He's Home!

Meighan and I called for Thomas once more last night about 9 pm and out from under the deck he came!! Other than being hungry and covered in burrs, he was in good shape. He cried and so did we.

***MISSING***

We are so sad today! Our kitty, Thomas, has been missing since yesterday morning. He got through the door after one of the kids had opened it, and we havn't seen him since. He does go out every now and then, but he always wants back in. Please pray our kitty is safe and returns home soon.

Help!

Well, our camera hit the crapper on Sunday. I guess that would explain why the last pictures I posted of Meighan were so grainy looking. What kind of camera would you recommend? I don't want one that has a lag time before it takes the picture; that is what this one did. It was a Ca*n*on Powershot.

Thankful Thursday

Early on in our adoption process one of my worries was that our waiting daughter was getting enough to eat. Little did I know that Meighan would be born in a very poor, rural area and later live for the first 10 months of her life in a very poor orphanage. One thought that brought me great comfort was knowing that God saw her! I learned to trust El Roi- the God who sees.

Love Without Boundaries is a humanitarian organization that has a heart for the waiting children in China. They provide medical care, education, and a nutrtional program for some of the poorer SWIs. We are so grateful that LWB was involved with providing safe, healthy formula to the SWI that Meighan spent her early months living in. Wasn't it sweet of our God to take care of the secret petitions of my heart?

Would you please turn off the playlist at the bottom, watch the video that introduces you to LWB and what they do, and consider making a donation to them via their website?

McLane Church::Erie County, Pennsylvania - Moses: The Journey: A Basket Case (Oct. 4 & 5, 2008)

McLane Church::Erie County, Pennsylvania - Moses: The Journey: A Basket Case (Oct. 4 & 5, 2008)


We just began a series on the life of Moses this past weekend, and I wanted to invite you all to listen and this is why...Moses' life begins being surrounded by tragic events that are no fault of his own. He is born into political policies that threaten his very existence~ he is born a boy. His mother finds herself putting her child into a basket, really having no way to know what will happen to her child after that.

It is true that history repeats itself, even centuries later. My duaghter, along with many of your children, were simply born girls. They were born into a political and ecomonic setting no fault of their own, or of their birth parents for that matter.

** I am not making a slam against any birth country- on one level I understand that countries make very difficult choices so that people will have food to eat, and it is impossible to know what the results of hard decisions will be years down the road. **

My daughter was found in a basket just like Moses. That has always been a symbol of abandonment to me, but through Brian's message, I see that the basket is the sign of redemption- a point of HOPE!

It just was so healing for me, and I invite all of my fellow adoptive moms especially to listen. It is about 20 minutes or so, and it is so worth it! I know that there will be questions that come one day about my daughter's journey, and it is so sweet of our Father to include this biography to show our children healing and redemption in a situation that mirrors their own in many ways.


**Remember to turn off the playlist at the bottom of the page **

My Passion ~ ADOPTION !

At the last M*O*P*S meeting we talked about finding our passions, and that morning I must have been in a fog because I found myself passionless at that moment. In the week since then it hit me! My passion for the last 3 years has been so a part of my life that I guess I couldn't see it, but I guess anyone who knows me probably could have pointed it right out. My heart has been turned toward ADOPTION and the orphan crisis in the world and getting the heart of the Church to make it their passion as well!

From day one of our adoption process Psalm 37:4 has been the verse that keeps speaking to my heart.

"Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

My passion for orphans and adoption come from HIM! My passion did not stop when Meighan was placed into our arms that very hot July day in Chongqing, China. I know now that it was the mountain top experience in OUR story- a story we want to share. It is a story of God's steadfast faithfulness. It is a passion that I will live out on a daily basis.

November is National Adoption month. I am sure I will be "preachin to the chior" for the most part, but I also know that not everyone who finds themselves on this blog is aware of the crisis that exists for 143 million children worldwide. My plan is to begin to make people aware. I have said it before, and I will say it again. Our adoption has been the most profound thing we have ever experienced. It is such a demonstration of God's love for us. My passion is to share that!

WooHoo!! Steelers Win against Jacksonville!

Favorite Friday Foto

Meighan has become quite the mover! She moves chairs, stools...I think you get the picture. Today she decided to visit Dorothy the goldfish and listen to Christopher's I*p*o*d. She was so proud of herself after she fed her fish a banquet of plenty...sorry Dorothy!

Fall has definitely arrived here in the NE. I'm sad to see the nice warm days go! We have turned the furnace on and we're wearing long sleeves to stay warm. I really do like the colors of fall, but I do NOT like cold and snow. I know, I know what you're saying...then why do you live in the snow belt? I ask myself that same question. Until God moves us south we will try to make the best of it!

Just plain Weird!

The other day Kara and I visited this site and had so much fun! Most of what we saw was just wrong! We havn't laughed that hard in a while. Thanks to A Bushel and a Peck for turning us onto this site!

Remembering Our First Night as a Family of Five

Boy was I glad to have my feet on planet Earth! I was even more happy to be seeing Christopher and Kara after being apart for 2 weeks. I was bawling like a baby coming down the escalator to baggage claim where they and my family were waiting for us, and I was so full of anticipation for them to finally be able to see Meighan face to face and skin to skin!

Once we were home the kids had a great time playing. I love the pictures of them getting to know one another. Ken and I loved being able to have some one on one time with Meighan, and she really deserved and needed that time with us, too. It is absolutely priceless seeing Christopher and Kara wrap their hearts around their little sister.

Thanks for letting me remember...

Favorite Friday Fotos

Our God is Miraculous

I am ready to leave for work, but thought I would hop over to www.roomforatleastonemore.blogspot.com and see what was happening. So many have been praying for this family and Susannah. I'm in tears now a I see the hand of God has indeed interveened and Susannah is getting better and is one step closer to home!

Some Chuck E Cheese's Fun

Attacking the Ball

Way to go Kara! Eagles win over Erie First Christian Academy two games to none!

Friday Nite Fun

I know I'm pretty cute! I'm just sittin' here watchin' my big sister play some VB.

Sweet Baby Girl and her Dada