THE PARTY!! and a day at the park

I thought I would share some pics from our 1 year Gotcha Day Anniversary Celebration Party:)


The Cake!! I LOVED the cake! They did such a good job! :)


Noah in his new outfit :)

he loves to get in Daddy's chair :) another shot in the outfit

These were our gifts to him :) I LOVED these bags :) They are earth friendly bags from Toys R Us but I loved them and what better gift bags for Panda Boy :) I must say I did have trouble getting the dump truck in that bag :)

Doesn't he look BIG! heehee He is 26 lbs, 34 inches tall and shoes are a 6 but he is growin out of them so I think it is bout time to go up. The sandles are the ONLY shoes he likes. Those were the ones like were in his coming home outfit, but were a 5. I had found a deal and got a 5 and a 6 at that time because I did not know how big his feet were. They were a 4 when we got him so the 5's were big the first day. When it gets cooler I am gonna have a fight on my hands to get non sandles on his feet.

This is a shot of the table we decorated with Asian items. Some were ours we have acquired, some were ones that Millie gave me from Taiwan, some were borrowed from friends :) The poster was made my Celeste and my friend Liane! It has Happy Got You Day written in Chinese :)

Jeremiah was there with us on my laptop wallpaper :) I used the laptop to show the video :)

Another shot of some of the things on the table. We had games children play in Taiwan (with the help of Millie to tell me what to buy. And candies and such that children in Taiwan eat.

Samuel and Noah playing while we were rearranging tables. The banquet room was accidentally double booked. I checked the booking THREE times and so I was quite shocked when told we could not have it because it is booked EVERY whatever by these other people. I literally cried and the owner showed me another area of the restraunt where we could have the party but we had to rearrange tables so we had a long table for everyone. I had wanted 2 long tables but was not room in this area so they other long table had to run another dircetion and we weren't all as close but it was ok I guess. We had a blast and that is what matters :)

Another shot of the table we made :)

Here you can see some of the candies and the pineapple cakes that Millie's mother made!

LOL, the face again :) He makes that now when the flash light goes of before the flash. He also does it in the sun. I am worried about that eye if he does it because the light bothers it maybe.

Ain't he cute! :)

Pastor praying a blessing over Noah!

more of the blessing time

more blessing time :)

Millie and my mom :)

Noah enjoying his cake!

Millie showing us how to eat this candy that children in taiwan love! You spin it on a spoon or chopstick! NOAH would NOT eat it though! lol Daddy loved it :)

Noah and the cake still :)

Now on to a Park Day we had Wednesday with our PLaygroup :)

Noah sliding down the rock wall!

Noah was so bold. He ran across to go up there and is quite far from me :) This is a first :)

Noah on the swing! I AM SOOO HAPPY to have a smile on the swing! The last time at this park he WIGGED out on the swing! He did not stay long and when he decided to get off her reached for me and almost flipped over !

He is so cute :) and very active :) HE LOVED the park :)

Run, run run :)

ok, we will walk now :)

Noah lookin out :) This was the big kids play area that he just had to go too.

Sam and Noah peekin through

I just LOVE to watch him play :)

This shot is so cute to me :) He is climbing so good! His OT/PT will be so proud! :)

I can't wait till the day I have Noah and Jeremiah together at the park! I am really aching for Jeremiah. People have said that before I know it we will have Jeremiah's 1 year home! I CAN"T WAIT! Looking at Noah and all God did to bring Noah home REMINDS me and gives me HOPE that Jeremiah's funds will come and he will be here soon with his big brother :)

Jeremiah my sweet frogie boy! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! I ache to rock you and sing to you and tell you how much we love you, how much Jesus loves you. I can just picture you and your brother together and I can't wait for it to be reality. I love you baby boy and we are working hard and will be there as soon as we can. Be sweet for the Nannies and while you wait catch my kisses in the wind!

THE VIDEO we showed at the party!

We had our Gotcha Day ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY Celebration last night! :) What a wonderful time we had and were so blessed to have 36 people there! :) I will be posting pictures and all of that later or tomorow as we have a busy day but this is the video I showed at the party. I have been trying so hard to get it up on the net. I FINALLY did it! :) It is long, BUT it is all about Noah! :) And of course that is what it should be! :) So if you have about 20 minutes PLEASE PLEASE do watch our video! :) It begins with his birth on earth and ends with Yesterday! :)

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Thoughts, Feelings, and planning for Gotcha day Anniversary

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 will be ONE YEAR since we were blessed by having our son placed in our arms!!!! Was that day easy? no not at all. Was not easy to get to or go through. As happy and joyfilled as we were to FINALLY be in Taiwan and meet our baby face to face, Noah was petrified and his entire world came crashing down and changed. He had no clue that it was the beginning of a life with his forever family, all he knew was he was loosing everything he had ever known to go with these crazy people who he couldn't understand. It is hard to explain how one of the most wonderful and long anticipated days of my life could also at the same time be one of the most painful, gutwrenching days. I guess it is truly like a day of giving birth biologically because you have the labor and delivery that are so painful, but the joy of the baby in your arms!! When I look at my son I so admire him! I cannot begin to imagine what I would be like if almost a year ago someone came in and took me away from every person, thing, sight, smell, and taste I had ever known. I am amazed at how well Noah has done and is doing! I mean even what his clothes are washed in changed so I am sure they had a different smell and feel to them! Yes, it was to give him a family, and more love and attention than he could have known with having so many babies and so few people. BUT, he did NOT know that. He cried, he grieved. I can't even fathom the fear he felt and for how long, probably longer than I even know. I wonder at times if he still remembers or not. I think about the fear I felt taking planes for the first time ever, the fear I felt when on the way back holding my baby boy the plane began to quickly desend during what we guess to be the typhoon weather. That petrifying fear was probably NOTHING compared to the fear that my sweet Panda boy was going through on our Gotcha day and for who knows how long after. I can't even put into words the pain I felt for him, how hard I grieved over his grief. My worries about IF I would feel like his mom were put to rest as soon as he began screaming and his fear and pain tore my heart out. I was emotionally bonded to him at that moment. My worries about could I love in real life the baby in the pictures I had clung to for 10 and half months were gone. I knew I loved this, MY SON, this gift from God and the country of Taiwan. But even with that the GUILT began. If I love him WHY am I putting him through this. Is it fair to him for me to come in and take him away from everything he knows, to frighten him? There are still days from time to time I worry. When someone warns me about RAD or says something about Noah being adopted and "That's because he is adopted!" or "Maybe its because you are not his real mother" I worry but then I think WHAT, I am his REAL mother. I am the mother God chose of Noah. I KNOW that Noah would not have come home without the help of the LORD! If the Father of the Universe trusts me to be Noah's Mother then how can I even worry. I want so much to be the best mother I can be for Noah. I want him to have the world. When I look back on our Gotcha Day and the first days with Noah I TREASURE that time. I received a wonderful gift that day. And in the long run I pray that the day will come that Noah will feel that he received a wonderful gift that day too!

We prayed about how to celebrate our first Gotcha day and decided that we will have a celebration party at Noah's favorite restraunt! It is a local Chinese Restraunt! :) If you are local PLEASE PLEASE take your family to supper at Chef Lee's Tuesday Night and come join us in the Banquet Room for a celebration! Here is a picture of the invitation I made!


We will celebrate 1 year since we were gifted with Noah! It is a celebration of the beginning of a new life, a future, a family growing. I know that Noah was born April 19, 2007 but for me I gave birth to my son September 8, 2008! A nurse did not place him in my arms, but his Nanny through the power of God moving during our paper pregnancy did! I am not sure if this post makes ANY sense to anybody but I wanted to share. To those who have your babies home, Celebrate! :) For those still waiting, as we are again, just know that though it may be a hard day, it is still a wonderful day.

I want to thank each and every person reading this blog who has helped in ANY way to bring Noah home, or Jeremiah. To those who prayed, gave, listened, CALLED me at just the right time, shared in anyway I give you thanks from the bottom of my heart! To Jackie and Jeff McDougall who shared this amazing day with us, Yall will ALWAYS hold a special place in our hearts, as will Miss Lucy who I had the JOY of witnessing join her forever family! I TREASURE the time we shared in Taiwan. I can't wait for the day we travel to CA and share breakfast again with yall! :) I will be forever grateful to Noah's birth mother for the gift she gave, to Taiwan, to St. Lucy's for the love, care, time, energy, and for approving our family and allowing us to even go to court to adopt Noah, and to Liza and Val and everyone over at Heartsent Adoptions! Y'all are my Hero's! :)


I have succeeded in crying my eyes out as I typed this post. Tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of grief for what my Panda Boy went through, and tears of grattitude that he lays here by me in my chair and sleeps as I share my heart with yall!

6 down at one time!

We had a long day today. We went to the hospital this morning while my neice Paula had a heart cath and PRAISE GOD she did very well and the news from it is much better than it could have been! We got home in enough time to take a babysitting job for the afternoon and that was very good for the baby fund! :) Well, we normally nap after lunch but when you have alot of extra kiddos sometimes things don't always run as smoothly. I am exhausted from a few nights with no sleep so I was REALLY hoping that I would get a little time to just vedge today. Well, between my amazing 21 year old daughter Celeste and I we managed to get ALL SIX KIDS down and alseep at ONE TIME! :) Actually it lasted for about an hour to boot! :) Here is EVIDENCE :)

Tathen (3)

Trinity (5)

Torrin ( 1 1/2)

Noah (2)

Tevin (11 months )

Ayden (9 months)

So there you have our proof of a miracle! heehee :)

here are a few more pics to share :)


This is Tevin and Ayden playing in Noah's garden! This garden is amazing. It is by Little Tikes and was bought for my 13 year old neice when she was 1. Went through her and 3 younger brothers and now Noah and whatever kiddos come through my house between babysitting, playgroup etc! heehee It is made GOOD!

Here are some shots from the hospital waiting room today!

lol, what a face :)

heehee :) he had the best fun with Jei Jei's hat he snitched!

more cuteness!

Isn't he adorable?! :)

lol, he has decided to start playing in our clothes. Those WERE clean when he snitched them from the basket! heehee

I ran by biglots today and as I am looking for what I need a song comes on the radio that is in my video for Jeremiah! It was so strange but I heard it and the next thing I know I am pushing Noah along in the cart singing along and BAWLING my eyes out! It overwhelmed me with how much I can miss a baby I have never held or even touched physically but boy has he touched my heart! I was overwhelmed thinking how fundraising is so much slower and harder this time than it was for Noah. How it feels like we will never get enough rasied so we can get to the point of our case getting to the judge. It is kinda of embarrasing to by bawlin your eyes out in the big lots :( I KNOW that my God is Able! I KNOW that SOMEHOW we will raise what we need and Jeremiah will come home! I guess this is just the beginning of having to work hard and fight to get Jeremiah what he needs. I know with children with special needs that goes with the territory to have to fight insurance company or whatever to get their needs met. RIght now I am fighting to get Jeremiah what he needs most. His mommy, his family, therapists, doctors, and on and on it goes. Please if you have a minute lift up a prayer for my sweet frogie boy!

Jeremiah Mommy loves you soooooo much. Hold tight baby boy and catch my kisses in the wind!

Praise and Pics

First off I wanted to share a PRAISE on the bake sale!!!!!

We had our bake Sale at Beautiful Bowtique on Saturday and raised $120 towards Jeremiah's Adoption! THANK YOU JESUS! We had a BUNCH of baked goods left so Bobby asked Pastor if we could put the leftover's out after Church Sunday with the donation jar if folks wanted anything and he said YES! :) Sooo, after an AMAZING servicce Bobby set everything out and our Church Family was so wonderful and we raised $243.98! Then I had an online friend donate $20 towards the bake sale for a CYBER key lime pie! :) She said if she was here she would have come to the sale so she decided to go ahead and send it through our chip in! :) Also a man at Church took a few things and said he would donate next service so possibly more will be coming! We still have baked goods!!! Anyway, we were so blessed to be loved on so good by our Church!

Now on to pics :) I have a collection of some pictures taken at some play group activities this summer that I snagged off our meetup website :)



Here is Noah and Samuel at our Ice cream social at the park! :) Noah loved the ice cream cone! :)

This is a free play day at one of the ladies house! :) Noah would sit with me some and then go and play some :)

Here is Noah playing by a good friend :)

Noah and Samuel :)

Noah playing. He loved the playroom and all the toys :)

Noah and some of the boys in playgroup :)

This is Drake and Noah! Drake is Noah's best buddy at this point. Drake taught Noah to say Pow Pow for powder and to climb the slide at Jumpin Jupiter to name a few things :) They are adoarble together :) This was at a water play day! :)

Drake and Noah again :)

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Here is a video of Noah in Therapy! His ot/pt is working on upper body strength with him :)

Jeremiah my sweet angel boy. Sometimes it feels like we will never raise the money and get to pick you up and I have to remind myself that GOD IS ABLE! and GOD did it with your brother so I KNOW it will happen! God moved on people's hearts this weekend to donate to the bake sale to help bring your home and that was such a blessing! :) Someday I will tell you all about this journey and all the Lord is teaching me through the waiting! I love you frogie boy and until I get there catch my kisses in the wind!