8 yrs old

I am just thinking and praying a lot about JC and his being 8 yrs old. He has been in the orphanage all his life. For what it's worth, he lives in a great orphanage. By orphanage standards Shanghai is probably the Tajmahal. He might even be dismayed at our facilities compared to the campus he is used to. But, there is one thing we have that the orphanage doesn't. Family.
I have read and heard folks say it's a crime to bring a child out of their culture and expect him to learn a whole new culture. I wish the world was perfect place where all biological could safely and adequately care for all their birth children and live happily ever after.
I was adopted and don't consider myself traumatized. Sure I hd issues to work through as a child, young adult and adult but I don't think those issues are really any different than what many other non-adoptees face.
Orphans in China who are not adopted become unadoptable at age 14. By age 16 they are released from the orphanage. The culture in China is such that being an orphan is considered very bad luck. So no one wants to hire you for a job. Some people say how will they know someone's a orphan? Well the naming of children in orphanages is such that it automatically identifies the person. Take L. His Chinese last name is Dang. This means communist. All babies that end up in orphanages in his province have this last name. T is from Zhanjiang and all orphans there are given Zhan. Since these are not "real" last names in China it would single them out. Plus T and L have cleft lip and palate. They will have plastic surgery in US and have had some wonderful surgeries in China, but there will probably always be some sort of scarring. This is more bad luck.
Orphans don't have an opportunity to go to college either. That means no good paying job and limits their choices.
So JC is 8. In a few years he would have to move out and care for himself. That's just not going to happen.
We are praying his little heart will be open to the love his Mamma and Daddy have for him as well as the love and harassment his brothers and sisters are sure to shower him with!


- Amanda & Roland

Iron Man turned 5 today

H, or Iron Man as he is know by all turned 5 today. He has been on an IM kick since just before Halloween. Of course he was IM for Halloween and has played in the costume daily since. I'll have to say, the costume has held up nicely! Everyday when he gets home, he runs upstairs to change into IM.

His bday is next week, and since Mom's going to China, we celebrated last night. Yes, IM on Turkey day!
He was a little overstimulated to say the least. He's the type of kid that opens 1 or 2 presents he likes and then is done. He got IM shirt, shoes, toys, hat, gloves and several toys including the talking IM face. He liked the simple mask better than the heavy head suit and his favourite toy was the boy barbie sized "doll". R says their "action figures". I guess that's how boys play with "dolls" by calling them "action figures". Whatever you call it, he LOVED it!!

Notice he's not letting go of that doll!! Oops I mean action figure!!






Amanda & Roland

Thnksgiving

I had help in the kitchen today. M was up early and wanted to help so I put her to work.


She makes a mean fruit salad.




Mawmaw stepped in to help her stir.
We have so much to be thankful for today and every day all year!
Amanda & Roland

Trip to get our tree

We went last weekend to pick out our Christmas tree. It's pretty much our tradition to go to a local tree farm and tag our tree, then we'll
Go back the day or weekend after Thanksgiving and pick it up.
We need the tree for Christmas and recycle it into our ponds to make hiding places for baby brim to breed in the spring. The trees make excellent nests. For many years others have donated trees and they are haulled to the coastline to help with our state's erosion problem.
Here's this years' tree:






And some more pics from the tree farm (they also have a pumpkin patch there)









Amanda & Roland

Getting close!

What a whirlwind this week has been. We have been busy making travel arrangements and I'm meeting (via email) all the folks God has put together to join us on this amazing journey to China. We have hotel reservations but no flights yet! Still waiting for all the pieces to fall in place. Stay tuned!


- Amanda & Roland

New addition

With all our children running around you would think we'd get tired of little ones. Our latest little ones are twins and they are ever so tiny. I stayed up half the night with the new mommy in labor.



As you can see they are extremely cute!



The white one is a bit much fatter than the other. Mom and Pop are very proud!

Forever Family Day

Last week after 3 years 5 months and 9 days of living in our family and 4 years 2 months and 20 days in limbo our children H and J are legally ours.
They have been ours since woven by God in the womb and we are thankful we are blessed to have them in our lives


- Amanda & Roland

Halloween

We had fun at Halloween carnivals all week last week. When it came down to Halloween we just stayed home and enjoyed the nice cool weather, some fall treats and food and Halloween cookies!
H wore his Iron Man costume every day so by the time it got to Halloween it looks like last years' costume! Now he is wearing Bumble Bee from last year around the house.






J was a sparkle witch. I guess that just means she got to dress in a pretty black dress. Doesn't every girl enjoy that?






T was Optimus Prime and as you can see by the only Halloween pic i have of him, was a blur of activity



But I did get one descent pic:



They played games and had a cake walk at our church hot dog supper.
M dressed up for the carnival but otherwise I a big girl and mostly outgrown antics.
K however, got to spook everyone as a patient in their Haunted Hospital spook house!












Happy Fall and Halloween.

Amanda & Roland

Update on L

We got updated pics and measurements for baby L. He has grown up so much since the last pics we saw of him! We asked for updates on both the boys to try to estimate clothing and shoe sizes. He weighs 10kg (20lb) is 29 inches tall and his little foot is 5 inches long!






- Amanda & Roland

EB

Our new son Joseph Chuan has a rare genetic skin disease called Epdermilysis Bullosae. EB for short. This week is EB awareness week. Parents friends and caregivers are trying to increase awareness about this disease. If you google EB the pictures may make you want to heave. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to care for a child with the more severe forms of EB. There are also some recent advances and a current trial of bone marrow transplant going on now. Several children have lived through the BMT(which is a major feat alone) and some have not survived the BMT. I am writing about this to increase awareness and hopefully one day there will be a cure for all forms of EB. For now and especially this week, please keep these children and their families in your prayers.


- Amanda & Roland

Beautiful inside and out

K and M recently competed in their first pageant. Actually, K was in one at age 2. I put her in a local pageant when she was 2 and was so appalled the way the adults and kids acted, I vowed would never do that again unless my daughters were old enough to WANT to participate.
So, they both wanted to participate in the local festival pageant. They were beautiful!







M's group was huge and the dresses were all gorgeous




But leave it to K to ask and keep asking, to find a borrowed dress, make all the arrangments, show up for her first time and win!!



- Amanda & Roland

Waiting Children

There are some great waiting children in Shanghai. Please visit www.journeyofhopeshanghai.blogspot.com to see their profiles. Please pray for these children that they find forever families. Pass the link on to others!

Buidling blocks

Building blocks to family and relationships and love. They love to build blocks!













Amanda & Roland

Sous chef

My little man T loves to be a helper. Tonight he learned how to cut onions with kitchen scissors and shredded some apples to put in a new recipee










- Amanda & Roland

Tie

Please visit my friend's blog today. She is advocating for some special little ones in China that need a home. One of them is Tie, who lives in Shanghai with Chuan. Tie is the last of 28 children who were part of a camp last year called Journey of
hope to teach kids about adoption and get them exposure to potential adoptive parents!!
Tie is such a cutie. He needs a home!!


- Amanda & Roland

Tie

We are trying to find a family for a 6-year old Deaf boy who is
currently living in an orphanage in China. Tie was brought to the
Shanghai Social Welfare Institute after he was abandoned by his birth
family. He was part of a program called Journey of Hope, which tries to
find adoptive homes for Chinese children who are older and/or who have
some type of special need. Three staff members from Alliance For
Children traveled to Shanghai last summer and fell completely in love
with the children we met. Amazingly, families have already been found
for TWENTY-SEVEN of the TWENTY-EIGHT children who participated in this
program. Tie is the only child who still needs a family—and the
heartbreak of leaving him behind has fueled our determination to find
him a forever family of his very own.

Tie is a very sweet, gentle child. He has an endearing smile, and it
is clear, after spending a little time with him, why he is the favorite
of one of his caretakers. Tie appears to be delayed in his growth and
development; we have no way of knowing what will happen when he has a
family and is given the kinds of support services that are not
available in China but are very accessible here. A family who adopts
Tie needs to be comfortable with the unknowns that are part of a
situation like this, but we SO HOPE that there is a family somewhere
who is...because we just CAN'T give up on him. There are medical
reports, video and photos of Tie from last summer, as well as a current
medical report and updated photos. He has grown and developed in the
past year, and we are hoping that he will continue to grow and develop
even more once he has a family who loves him.

International adoption is a huge, lifelong commitment, and it is not
for everyone. There are requirements, fees, paperwork, and red tape.
But Tie’s future will be so much better and brighter with a family here
in America than in an orphanage in China. And not only will it give
Tie the gift of a family but it will give a family something that is
beyond measure in return
Please pray for Tie that we can help him find a family. If you or some one you know is interested, find out more through Alliance fir Children adoption agency.

- Amanda & Roland

Puppies!!!

Our German Shepherd's had puppies!! We are caring for her nine pups.
Mom and dad are so proud.


















Too cute!
Anyone need a puppy?

Amanda & Roland

First day of the rest of her life

Well our oldest started another first. The first day of her last year of junior high. Wow, how time flies.



I remember video taping her the first day she went to PreK in her cute little uniform, long blonde hair and pretty hairbows.
Now she's almost as tall as her dad!



The little ones can't wait to go to school next week.









Amanda & Roland

First day

The littles (minus one) had their first day of school today.



They were not the least bit reluctant to leave the nest.



And ran ahead to find their teachers.
And got right to work












The last little has to wait another week to ride his favorite mode of transportation: schoolbus!
Amanda & Roland