Dancing Elves- Sara, Lauren, and Ally

This is hilarious. It is a website called elfyourself.com It is by Office Max and you can do your own and even make them talk. Click Here to see our 3 girls dancing. It takes a little while to load and you may even have to refresh.

A big thanks to Jennifer for the updated new look of the blog. It looks and sounds great.

Thankful - For So MUCH!

I'm a bit late posting my Thanksgiving message; and I'm terribly behind with my blogging! So, my goal is to catch up!

This Thanksgiving was like most - my "side" of the family gathered at my sister's and brother in law's house in Augusta. Doug's sister, Shelley, joined us too. We had the usual food - turkey, dressing, mac-n-cheese (but no cheese grits until Amy came thru!), sweet potatoe casserole, home made yeast rolls, etc. We did the usual things - watched the parade, some of the dog show, played outside (pretty, cool day), decorated Mema's tree, decorated our trees, etc.

Of course, this Thanksgiving was NOT like the last two - which we spent with an emptiness in our hearts and lives - Ally was missing from our family the last two T'givings. SO, you can imagine how thankful we were this holiday to have her here with us, fitting into our family just fine! She is just the perfect match for us. I always felt confident that God would give us the perfect child for our family; it was, of course, frustrating during the seemingly endless wait to keep that at the forefront!

We are thankful for our 3 healthy girls, each so special in her very own way! For the most part, they get along so well and do love each other! Thankful that our two oldest girls are good students and make good choices in their friends. Thankful that they both have Jesus in their hearts!

We are thankful to be home and that our trip to China was wonderful and no one got sick and that our flights were uneventful.

We are thankful for our agency, Hope for Children, that assisted us throughout the entire process.

We are thankful for our families and friends that prayed for us and stood by us, encouraging us, through the wait and our travels.

We are thankful for Ally's heart being healthy.

We are thankful for the nannies that cared for and loved Ally for her first 23 months of life in China. We are also SO thankful for her birth mother, who made the painful choice to take tiny baby Ally to Hope Haven and to give her a chance at a life that she could not provide. I can't even imagine the pain she must have felt; I just pray that somehow she has a peace in her heart that her baby girl is loved SO MUCH and is safe and happy.

We are thankful for Ally's adjustment - at home, at Sunday School, at Miss Sheryl's.

We are thankful for all of the new friends we have made because of our decision to adopt.

We are thankful for our marriage and for our little girl finally being at home!

Christmas is Right Around the Corner!

Yes, we are getting ready to go! Lots to post, so I'll see if I can remember it all!

First and foremost, congrats to our friends, the Millers, for finally being united with their daughter, Sarah Beth. You can see their pictures by clicking on the link listed on the right. We can't wait to see her in person! It has been a little strange watching them in China - we're a little jealous that they are there without us! We're so happy for them!

Ally continues to understand so many things! Tonight while we were fixing dinner, I told Ally, "Go tell Sara and Lauren that it's time to eat dinner." Off she went down the hall! The next thing I know, she comes running back into the kitchen and Sara and Lauren following close behind! Lauren said, "Is it time to eat? Ally did her sign for 'eat'" Isn't that amazing?

Our weekend was packed full of activities. Lauren had soccer and we went to the Gwinnett Civic Center to see Sara's photograph on display. She received an Honorable Mention at the county level for the Reflections contest. Later on Saturday night we joined the Hills to celebrate Randi's birthday at Ninja, a Japanese steak house. We had so much fun, watching the chef throw rice balls for each of the girls (yes, including Ally) to catch in their mouths! The waiters seemed to be looking at Ally quite a bit, but didn't say/ask anything. We then went back to their beautifully decorated (yes, for Christmas) house and had dessert and just enjoyed laughing and watching the girls play! Shelby Grace and Ally had fun wearing their Chinese dresses and having a "panty run" thru their house! Randi inspired me to get busy with the decorating!

On Sunday, the girls hosted a Dangles party and sold several pairs of their earrings to friends and family! It was fun to see everyone that came. The one who stole the show was an appearance by Frannie! It's so funny to see them together. This time they didn't pay much attention to each other - they played near each other. Ally wasn't very good about sharing "her" toys! This was the first time a "little friend" had been here to play with Ally's toys! We need to work on that!

Last night, a small group of kids from Sara's band played at the Publix "Holiday Kick-Off". Ally wore her Christmas outfit and got to meet Santa for the first time. We snapped a quick picture of all 3 girls, because Ally looked slightly apprehensive about going to sit with the Big Guy!

Look out China - Here Come the Millers!

We can't wait to follow our great friends journey to China. Chad and Melissa leave tomorrow AM VERY early from Illinois. I am so excited to see them get their daughter! I'm a little jealous of the other families that we know that will meet Sarah Beth before we can! Can't wait till we can see them and let these 2 little China girls meet. So, C and M, if you happen to glance at our blog before you leave, just be reminded of how you felt about our blog when we were in China!!!!! Post frequently! Love you all dearly!

Ally had her follow up doctor visit this afternoon and got 4 shots. She was fine after the first, looked at me very concerned after the second, and let us hear her with the third. By the fourth one, she was so tense, that the injection spot started to bleed! She is asleep now, but we are expecting a little girl that doesn't feel so great!

I am a BLOG addict!!

I used to make fun of Lucy for having tears in her eyes each and every night as she read these blogs. I thought she was crazy, beating herself up by reading about others gettting or having their children. My addiction started while we were in China. I really enjoyed reading all of the comments from friends and family. I also enjoyed writing some of the posts when I was wide awake at 3AM.
Lucy will follow perfect strangers blogs. I on the other hand only look at people I know or have met. I followed Frannie's Journey and now Shelby and can't wait to hear about the Miller's trip as they leave Friday. I guess I just thought it was time for a man to admit he enjoys reading blogs. I have had several guys tell me they read our blog. I believe Scott told Lucy he was addicted to our blog while we were in China. Bill told me he still checks our blog about everyday. I keep telling Lucy we need to get this thing save to a dvd so Ally can read all about her before we even knew she was Ally.

Welcome Shelby!

Congrats to Donna and CJ (click on their names to route to their blog) who finally met their daughter Shelby on Sunday (Monday afternoon China time). Shelby is having a tough time as she misses her foster mom/dad greatly. Please say a quick prayer for everyone involved! These are challenging days. I remember them quite well.

She Pushed the Cat into the BATH TUB!

Yep! That is what Ally did tonight! Lauren had just taken her bath and the water was draining. Ally was in there keeping her company, and Snoopie joined them, sitting on the edge of the tub. This is not unusual for him, as we often run a few drops of water for him to drink! But he wasn't expecting a big shove from Ally (who probably only outweighs him by 5 pounds)! Splash and scramble... he was in the tub for a fraction of a second (as cats tend to do!) and then he ran off shaking and splattering water everywhere! I'm not sure Ally even knew what she had done.

She loves to play "Where's Elmo". We tried to teach her to hide her eyes (she peeks) while we hide her 2 little stuffed Elmos in the family room. It is one of her favorite games to play. She will put her hands up as if to say, "where'd he go?" It's quite cute!

Another "game" she plays is "scare me and watch me run to mommy". Lauren is the best at this and loves to make Ally squeal and laugh, which she does!

She always refers to Doug as "daddy" until HE asks her "who am I?" and she always says "MA MA MA MA" really loudly! That cracks us up everytime.

She played outside in the chilly afternoon with her sand (formerly water) table and really liked scoopin it up and moving the sand around!

Her favorite things to grab are daddy's cell phone and wallet, remote and keys. She gives us this cute little sly smile when she does it, too.

She loves for Daddy to toss her into the air or spin her. Anything crazy - she responds by saying "moh - moh" and doing her little sign language for "more"! Sometimes it stresses me out, but she sure loves it.

One of the high points of Ally's day is when Lauren's bus comes in the afternoon. She knows the sound of the bus coming down the street. When the bus turns around in our cul-de-sac, Ally gets so excited and can't wait to run out in the yard to greet her.

Now the pics... I posted the one of Ally sleeping on the sofa just to show how tiny she is. She hasn't felt well this week - on and off fever since Friday. She topped the scale at 21.5 pounds on Monday (up 2 from China), so the doctor was pleased with that. She does seem to feel better and has been fever-free today. It is hard to see little ones that don't feel well!

Lauren was reading in the rocking chair in Ally's room when Sadie decided to join her! Ally was enjoying some mixed up chocolate ice cream.

Click "View All Images" below the window, and click on "original view" to see the slide show in a bigger format!

Happy Halloween!

Once she realized that after ringing the doorbell, people giving out candy, Ally loved Trick or Treating! It took her a while to realize that she actually could keep the candy instead of eating it immediately! We went to our church festival for a little while and then came home to start the T or T'ing. The big girls ditched our little n'hood for bigger and better things with friends, but Ally had fun going to about 8 houses close by! That explains why Ally dominates the photos - she is the only one that stayed all night with mommy and daddy! (click below slide show to see it bigger)

Sara and Audrey went as grandma cheerleaders, while Lauren and Amelia were Thing 1 and 2 (Cat in the Hat). Ally was originally going to be a ladybug, but the 50's girl worked better for her (she didn't care for the lady bug hat!). She ate entirely too much candy, but isn't that the fun part of Halloween?

My friend Donna and family are in Beijing today - they meet Shelby in a few days!