Merry Christmas

Wishing you peace, love, faith and hope for 2009, Love, Jim, Mary Li, Marshall and Lily

The quiet before the storm

Now THIS is what I'm barking about!

Everyone is ready for presents


Bakugan are the thing for 11 year olds this year!

Marshall knows camping gear is always a hit with Dad.

Ah.....the mermaid tail!!!

Christmas happiness

Joey, Kristy and Jim

And to all a good night! The princess crashed at 8 p.m. :)

Happy 4th Birthday Sweet Lily!

This was a big week for our Lily. She conquered her stage fright and stood front and center at her Christmas pageant! Isn't she the cutest little snowman? (That is her with the finger pointing to Daddy!). And, our little peanut turned 4! We can't believe how fast the last 2 1/2 years with her have flown and how she has grown! Lily is happy, happy most of the time and loves to talk, sing and dance. She is very busy, very curious and has almost no fear. She is extremely expressive and quite the ham. She has a special light that makes everyone who meets her smile. We are so blessed that she is our daughter.

You better watch out!

Guess how old I am?

Barbies and horses are big at 4!

The Mermaid cake for the girl who wants Santa to bring her a mermaid tail!

Making a wish with a little help from big brother

Ride 'em cowgirl! Thanks for the pony and hat, Gran!

Counting blessings or stacking sandbags

This morning on my way out of the neighborhood with my almost 4 year old in the back seat quietly humming a Christmas song, a huge flock of gorgeous white ibis rose up in front of me and skimmed over the top of the car. This is a beautiful snow white bird with a long red beak and black tipped wings. This flock of 30-50 birds has grown in our neighborhood over the last few years. I said a silent, "Thank you God!" for letting me live in a place where daily we see the ibis, great blue herons, snowy white egrets perched in the pine trees, on our neighbors dock, poking in our water fountain for lizards.

I started to think about the other things I am thankful for - the fact that last night I went to bed and this morning I woke up with Jim's arms wrapped around me. That Marshall went to school this morning with ALL his math homework done and that he only has his science project left to complete before the break. That I got to spend a weekend in New Orleans this summer with another adopting mom and that she is there for me, day or night, during this adoption ordeal. That my Mom made the halupkis (stuffed cabbage for you non- Slavic friends) for Christmas Eve dinner and that there is a Polish deli in our community that sells peirogis (because they are a bear to make!). That Lily's birth mom left her on the door step of a bakery on December 20, 4 years ago, knowing that her newborn daughter would be found. That Murphy did not chew the ornaments off the Christmas tree during the night.

I thought that I ought to start making a list to remind myself of all these blessings. There is a fear that we may need the reminders in the next two weeks if we don't get the news that Hung's papers have been approved by the province for his adoption. Making a list of blessings seems like stacking sandbags by the front door before a hurricane to keep the rising tide out. It is something that you almost feel like you are tempting fate by preparing. I don't want to plan for the worst.

We are trying to live day by day with "faith" instead of "fear." This is the time of year we celebrate Jesus' birth but my mind wanders to Mary as we wait for word on Hunter. Did she have fear as she sat on the back of the donkey on her way to Bethlehem? How strong was she to travel with a man who promised to take care of her but who was not the father of her child? Did she have fear when there was no room at the inn? When strangers began to appear to see her new Son, how did she know it was fine? Where did she get her faith?

Maybe she counted her blessings. God is so good.

Dance of the Tree Skirt

Nothing signals Christmas in our house like the Dance of the Christmas Tree Skirt! For some reason I have had this lovely quilted bright funky tree skirt for many years. I am not quite sure how the Dance originated but I recall trying to roust the Christmas spirit in my husband with some lighthearted cheer the first year we were married by donning the skirt and dancing to the Nutcracker music. It did not quite have the intended erotic effect but did produce lusty gales of laughter! Think Dance of the Seven Veils meets National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. Anyway, before the tree is decorated and the lights are turned on, when the first of the decoration boxes is opened, we must have the Dance. This year, I was not really in the mood and neither was Jim but I wrapped that lovely fabric compilation around my waist and danced I did. Well, Lily thought I was nothing short of Snow White and Cinderella rolled into one and NOTHING would do but she too had to wear the skirt and do the Dance!! It comes to her toes (It is well above my knees - quite a different look that I will spare you!) and she twirled and twirled. "Look at me!! Look at ME!!!" she shouted with glee. Murphy, our coon hound, has never witnessed this spectacle before so was torn between watching the wee Empress parade around or sniffing each ornament. Who needs snow and ice and cozy fires to make them feel like Christmas? Not us! This was just the thing to brighten our spirits! Ho Ho Ho!!

Update Day

We received our latest quarterly update today. While any news at this point is welcome, this was not an update we wanted. We never thought we would be getting this update. We thought we would be writing one instead and that our son would be home. It is senseless that we are now at 18 months since referral. We need him and he needs us.

The photos were not new to us. They were taken at the same time as the video we received in October. It was a surprise to learn that there appears to be yet another foster child in the home (that now makes 4 that we know of). The big news is Hunter finally started school this fall and he loves it! He has to study harder because most kids his age started a year or two earlier but so far he is doing well. He has been healthy since the last update and may have put on a little weight. The pictures this time just make it harder. We should hear by year end whether or not the province will approve his dossier and let him come home to us.


Hard to imagine another Christmas without Hunter home. We will hang his ornament from last year and hope he is here to see it next year. Please help us pray this child, and the remaining kids waiting in Vietnam for their forever families, home.

Don't Mess With Me - My Son is a Black Belt!

Congratulations Marshall on receiving your first degree black belt in karate 12/5/08. We are so very proud of you!!

This is a black belt school! Marshall has the white head gear on and is facing two opponents.



Sharing the news via Skype with cousin Dylan.

With his instructor, Karate Master Tim

Samurai warrior!!

Thoughts on Motherhood and a Pre-Teen

Eleven years ago today, after 42 weeks of pregnancy, 3 months of bed rest, 18 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing, the most beautiful little boy was born and I became a mom. I had no idea of the challenges nor the rewards that would await. At birth, Marshall had a teensy bit of red fuzz on the top of his head which my Mom quickly pronounced he got from her mother. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 oz., was 21 inches long and the longest, skinniest baby legs!

Today, my handsome son has one foot into the teenage years and one foot in childhood. He is almost 5 feet tall, still has those long, skinny colt legs and weighs a whopping 71 pounds after a meal. Tomorrow Marshall will achieve a goal he has worked hard for for almost 9 years. He will test and likely receive his black belt in karate! Hundreds of classes, thousands of hours of training, many bumps and bruises comes down to this. It is a remarkable achievement for someone so young and something no one will ever be able to take away from him.

This is the same child who likes to have Mom say prayers to tuck him in at night and who comes running into our room when he hears the house creak and groan. We still hear the little boy when he complains "how come Lily gets away with everything?!" We know he is still a boy who needs us when we have to remind him to brush his teeth, comb his hair, tie his shoes and when he would prefer Mom help with all of these things. Yes, I love it.

Marshall can be quiet and shy around adults he doesn't know well but we also have been told he is the class clown and we often see his quirky sense of humor. He laughs with gusto (often with beverages coming out his nose!) and is incredibly tenacious about things he is interested in. He remains intrigued by snakes, bugs, undersea things. He talks about being a paleontologist, a marine biologist and most recently, a chemist. Oh, and did I mention he is brilliant? He got the "loop hole" award at the end of 4th grade because he always devises a different answer but has a perfectly logical rationale for how he got to the answer, particularly with math problems. Marshall is tough on himself and secretly thinks of himself as uncoordinated and unlucky. He has no idea how truly blessed he is with his amazing good looks and his many mental and physical talents. That will come.

In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy the precious gift that he is, my son - the boy who made me a Mom. Marshall - we love you so much!