24 Hours Later!

We have only been in Xi'an for 24 hours and we have already received our daughter and have all the paperwork done! Our guide is great and he is ultra efficient!

The people here, are wonderful and everyone is going out of their way to help us! They know we have a shortened time in the province and they are working hard to get it all done!

All of Abby's close friends have left the orphanage to be with their forever families. They were concerned that she would never get a family because of her diagnosis. They were so kind to us and happy for our little girl! We are the ones that are blessed!

They said she was very ready to be with us! Seeing her friends leave made her want a family even more. It helped prepare her for her forever family!
She did not shed a tear or even bother saying goodbye but she does watch where we are at all times!

It has only been 24 hours but so far she is a delight! She is sweet, gentle, mild mannered and obedient. She loves her new clothes, her light up shoes and her new toy!

We will see how I describe her as the days go by and she becomes more comfortable with us!

She can do many things independently but seems to enjoy getting help and allows me to mother her.

I'm thinking she has never brushed her teeth- really has no clue how to do it but is catching on fast!

She is 5.5 yrs old, has never colored before, she does not know her colors in Chinese and cannot count very well. They said she was in little sisters half the sky preschool - this is the first I have ever heard that she was in it. I am excited to get her home and introduce her to the world of learning and new experiences!

We also told her her English name- Abby!

She was not impressed...

We told her it is a very beautiful name in America!

Still not impressed...

Oh well! It'll grow on her... in time!!
I think Abby fits her perfectly!

After we did all our official work we went to an authentic chinese restaurant- a tiny little place with our guide and enjoyed delicious food! Then we walked to a nearby shopping mall and bought a few snacks for the kids and a toy.

Our internet arrangement is working GREAT! Just need to make sure I download only one pic at a time!

So thankful to be able to post and share our journey!

Tomorrow is another big day!!

We visit the orphanage Xi'an orphange! They said I could take pictures so if you have a child there please leave a comment- their chinese name and birthday or email me at jmulva3@aol.com. I will ask if I can take a picture of your child.

We will only be there for 45 minutes and will be spending most of our time looking at were Abby slept, went to school, etc.

I am sorry I am posting this so late- I will need to hear from you by 8 am which is only 16 hours from now!

After that we will go to the Terracotta Warriors!

Everyone knows how I feel about adoption. I don't want to preach but I really am so thankful to God for guiding us in this direction!

Last night in our hotel they were doing a tree lighting ceremony and a choir was singing Christmas songs.

We pretty much crashed the party, we were underdressed and uninvited. They did not offer the champagne to us!

BUT, a photographer took many pics of Abby as she watched in wonder at the beautiful site.

I just had to thank Jesus - Abby is now free! 

She will be forever loved by a family.

She will get the medical care she needs and we will pray that she will be cured.

She will now have the opportunity to learn and she can dream about her future!

And even more importantly she can be free to openly learn about and love our Lord!

I find adoption to be a miracle- a God miracle!

NOW, were having fun!

We took the girls to a movie last weekend! Even Johnny joined us! 

It was there first movie at a movie theater! We loved it, they liked it!

We saw MegaMind- it actually had some redeeming story lines in it. Ultimately good wins over evil!

Emma did a lot of repositioning in the movie. I am sure the chair in front was kicked often and the people in back of us got wapped by a jacket one or two times! Ellie may have taken a nap and Anna hid on Dad and Johnny's lap... I guess that leaves me and Sarah! 

We enjoyed the movie ;-)

Then we went home to Turkey left overs! Ellie was promised the turkey leg and Emma the wing!

They were so excited! I mean, like really excited!

Movie? What movie??

Believe me - a slice of turkey was not what they wanted! The leg! The wing!

Now, your talkin!!

We decided not to take before and after pics...


(of the leg and wing, that is...)

Feeding The Fish!

One of the children's favorite things to do at the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou is to feed the fish!

We have picture of Mia, Melissa and Madeline feeding the fish, too.
It's just fun, simple and relaxing!
And... kind of biblical!

For some reason I have thought,

 they would come home and we would...

be back to normal.
Maybe because I/we am home and everything is pretty much 
"the same" here except we're missing Hubby.
I am beginning to realize that 

Hubby and sons are not going to hit the ground running but instead they will be exhausted with jet lag.

So my thoughts of -
Great, they will be home on the 6th.
We can get the tree on the 7th
We can decorate the house on the 8th.
Have a party on the 9th.

It just isn't gonna happen!

Reality check!

We will have the same adjustment period that all families have and that's okay because it's necessary!
I am saying this to prepare myself for the adjustment period.

The first month, two months, three months and four months are challenging as they learn how 

a family works and the family rules.

It is all, so new to them and with 11 siblings ready to run and hug them it will be a bit overwhelming for our two new boys.

Since Sarah was not in China this time, 

it will be interesting to see if anyone's Chinese returns and if they are able to speak to the new boys?

Sadly, they are "speechless" on Skype when it comes to Chinese.

It shocked our new boys - the children looked Chinese but didn't return conversation in Chinese.

This little guy(above) is very sweet,  athletic and smart

BUT

He needs to clean up his language!

And I am NOT talking about speech therapy!

Hubby and Mark had no idea until some men were laughing at what he was saying...

Looks like Ben got splashed in the face!

This little boy(above) is a rule follower!

Whereas Joey is an outta the box thinker.

 I love challenges!
And integrating these two dears into our large family will definitely provide a challenge!

It is so awesome to see GOD prevail and redemption happen right in front of my own very eyes!

The little guy below we be an incredible son - 
just you wait and see!

And this will be the last picture 

with his tongue like that!

I think he is adorable but I'm not a fan of the tongue sticking out...!

I think this dear boy desperately needed a family.

I think he has a lot to learn and he will, 
in time, 
learn it!
Hubby has tighten up on some of the behaviors and he is already responding well!

Luke just said

Hey, I have that shirt too!

Ummm, yes you did ;-)
Pause...
(while he put the pieces of the puzzle together...)
Hey, I liked that shirt...

Don't worry honey, they will bring it home!

Our two little fish, 
will 
"get fed" with the love of Jesus!

We Have Her!

It was a whirlwind of a day! Meeting our friends was incredible!! I loved every minute of it and hope to come back just to see them in the future!!

The we boarded a plane to Xa'in and took an hour long shuttle ride to meet our Abby!

We got there and were waiting in the 5th floor hallway when the elevator opened and there she was!

She walked straight up to us- no hesitation!

She is as precious as can be!

She liked all of us but she definitely likes me! She want to sit next to me and have me help her! I love it!

They said she was very excited about her family!

She holds our hands, sits on our laps and she is right where she is supposed to be- thank you Jesus!!

She loved the little gifts we brought!

When we got back to the room and saw there was a crib... for her... her mood changed. Poor dear she fought back the tears but just couldn't anymore. The tears flowed- she let me comfort her.

And we got rid of the crib!

And changed rooms where we have the most ginormous bed I have ever seen!

It sleeps four across- no problem!!

When I saw Abby's picture in May- God said she needs to come home...

God was right!

more later!

Volunteer Spotlight: Raissa Bump

Raissa Bump has volunteered as the Family House Yoga instructor for the past 3 years. She heard about Family House through a previous volunteer. Raissa is dedicated to providing monthly yoga sessions to the families at Family House.  Each month she sets up a yoga class and offers the service to families and staff. She is able to teach all levels, from beginner to advanced, and takes extra caution when working directly with the patients. 

Yoga helps relieve some of the emotional, social, and physical stresses that our families are going through. Yoga practices breathing techniques, behavioral guidelines, and physical posture improvements that can be incredibly valuable.

Besides donating her time by volunteering with Family House, Raissa has a thriving business selling amazing jewelry, handmade knit items, and gorgeous clothing.

Raissa, we love your energy and dedication to the families each time you visit Family House. Thank you!

Get involved with Family House! Learn more at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Visiting Joey's Orphanage

Just like Ben's orphanage, 

Joey's is considered nice, too.

That is, by orphanage standards.

We didn't try to adopt children from nicer orphanages, it just happened that that's where our children were this time.

But even a nice orphanage is still not a home and a family...

As they drove up to the gate, Joey mumbled, "I really don't want to be back here."

The guide translated the comment to hubby.

Joey rallied and happily handed out suckers to his friends and to many of the other children.

He was happily greeted by his favorite nanny.

The children were happy to see him.

When they asked if he had a best friend- he did not.

Kinda sad...

Such precious children, each one of them needing a family!

Together we can make a difference and give these children a home!

I always hope that in these pictures someone will find their child!

This is the lunch room.

She was the one that took care of him at the orphanage.

It must be hard to see the children leave.

I know she is happy for him but it is still hard.

She cried when she said "Goodbye".

Joey said, "I'll come see you tomorrow."

He knew he wouldn't be back

 but I am sure he felt like he had to say something to make her feel better.

He was sad and quiet for a little while but no tears.

This is his bed.
It's been his bed since he was an infant.
Sadly, it looks all to familiar to me
More on this, in another post.

It was a big day for our little guy!

So many changes, all happening so quickly! 

This sweet girl has a family!
They are in process to adopt her!
When you are in the adoption process it is so wonderful to get extra photo's of your child!
It's a day maker!

Ben is trying to be a good big brother to Joey.
He had a foster family for 6 years before returning to the orphanage for the last year.
He also has a peaceful personality.
He is more calm, appropriate and civilized that his dear little brother!
Our little guy will be a bit more of a project!
But we are confident that with time he will learn how to be socially appropriate.
He is in every way a dear child! 
Smart, desiring to please, loving, friendly and happy!
He's just a little active and rough around the edges. 
We plan to smooth those rough edges out, a bit!

So happy to have this pic of the 4 of them together!

Hope they get a few more of all four of them- hint, hint!

Mark is, is, is ready to come home!

He's getting a little tired of playing, playing and playing some more! 

Hang in there guys, your doing a wonderful job!

It's getting a little long for us at home too.
I try not to let my mind go there but instead fill it with prayer.
We still have a huge job ahead of us- integrating the boys into the family.
I know that will be harder than being without Hubby for the last 3 weeks.
It's a challenge any way you look at it.
But it is not too big of a challenge for GOD!
HE will see us through!

Who's Missing?

Lately I have been asking the children-

"Okay, who's missing?"

I look around and quickly count to 8.

I guess we are all here?

BUT,

I just feel that something is wrong, somebody is (or somebodies are) not with us?

And then I realize, it's our three waiting children that are missing.

I have been mentally preparing for the new and larger number!

I am ready to count to 11 (constantly) because that's what I'll be doing!

We are working hard to prepare for the children. Another set of bunk beds have been set up!

As soon as the rooms are in order I will post pics! 

And share with you our bedroom plans.

I am still contemplating how we are all going to eat at the same time/counter/table AND how I will be educating everyone.

I am not concerned about it.

I know God will reveal HIS plan and things will fall into place in time.

(I have heard that this little one is very thin - she looks so frail to me.

I cannot wait to love her and feed her!)

We are planning to order a new van, but we are not sure if it will get done before we travel to China.

I would love the sprinter but fitting into our garage, parking ramps (because we are often at Children's Hospital) and being able to get the van washed in our local car wash has taken precedence.

So a larger version of Vanna will be what we purchase.

They are making them safer and better quality now- which is good.

We have had a minor hitch these last couple days...

Our N*V*C cable was sent BUT I have had a very hard time getting them to send me the letter via email.

At first it was no problem BUT they only sent one of the three.

Then "I called back" and asked for the other two.

They said no, then yes- whew good!

BUT they never arrived so "I called again" and they said that I requested them to "mail" them to me, (that would be snail mail). I don't think so, but I then rephrased my request-

PLEASE EMAIL them to me asap!

and still nothing happened...

So "I called again" (are ya getting the theme) "I called again"

and they said

it was sent via email and may take 3-5 days to arrive in my email box.

At that point I thought I was going CRAZY...

REALLY, oh come on... Oh please...

so,

I requested they be sent again.

After that last TALL TALE...

I had to "call again"...

 and they said they couldn't tell how it has been sent, either email or snail mail and the needed their supervisor to check on it

BUT the supervisor was in a meeting...

YES, it was obvious...

I could no longer handle this myself.

I finally gave it to GOD in PRAYER!

AND

 delegated the calling to Hubby!

I'm just not a fast thinker and quick with words,

he is and with prayer this was a fitting job for him!

The letters arrived tonight via email!

And we are now in process for Article 5!

PRAISE the LORD!

WoooHooooo!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 reasons to praise the LORD

Pâté Recipe

Boy was my lunch delicious today. So good that I thought the recipe deserved getting shared with the world for others to enjoy. Looks like Nutella doesn't it? Well it's chicken liver pâté. 

Pâté is one of those things that until a few years ago, I was convinced had to be purchased in order to be enjoyed.

Well, I found that it is not true. The recipe is so simple, affordable and quick to make that it is a perfect picnic dish and cocktail appetizer.

Ingredients

Please refer below for more information on the origin of my ingredients

1 stick butter

1 lb. chicken liver

Couple rosemary sprigs

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup white wine or 2 tbsp. brandy (preferred)

Salt and pepper

Melt a 1/4 stick of butter in a large skillet

Add chicken livers and herbs and saute until thoroughly cooked (pink inside - 5 minutes)

Add a splash of white wine or brandy to deglaze 

Compost bay leaf, set aside rosemary sprigs, and blend chicken livers with the remaining butter 

and 3 tbsp wine or 1 tbsp brandy.

Season to taste, garnish with the rosemary sprig and voila!

Enjoy with baguette and cornichon (optional: a green salad).

How Zero Waste are my ingredients?

Butter: As mentioned before, I stopped making butter because of cost, and butter remains the only food that we purchase in disposable packaging. The box goes into the recycling; the wrappers get washed and added to my collection for a planned art piece. Looking at three years worth of wrappers... I realize how important butter is to this family ;)

Chicken liver: The meat counter at Whole Foods put them in my jar. Chicken liver is a discard of the meat industry and am happy to take it off its hands for a super low price!  (I bought two pounds that day, as seen in picture above)

Rosemary: As mentioned before, we do not have a vegetable garden due to the nature of our property (we are perched on an oak-covered hill). We do grow a few things on our deck, but not rosemary. I consider the wild my vegetable garden. So when I need rosemary, I take the dog for a walk and forage.

Bay leaf: California bay trees grow like weeds in our neck of the woods. They have even become invasive. Since they carry the sudden oak death disease, we have cut the ones that keep sprouting on our property. When I need a leaf for cooking, I pick the neighbour's branch that leans over our property (convenient foraging).

White wine: I have to say this recipe is good made with white wine, but fantastic made with brandy. I made this batch of pâté using wine from a local winery, Le Neebia, that refills our bottles.

Salt and pepper: I purchased fine sea salt and whole peppercorn from the bulk bins at the grocery store, using my cloth bags.

Cornichons: I fill a small jar at the olive bar of the grocery store.

What are you eating for lunch?