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