Saturday, August 31, 2013

NDSouth: Hat Day!

Recently while going through donations we came across a bag of hats. Even though we are in the heat of summer, the kids decided that they wanted to try them on. And why not?

Marshall found an adorable "night cap." 


Cooper is all set for the winter cold to come!


 We decided that hats may just be Laura's "thing." Doesn't she look absolutely precious?


How about the winter hat, Laura? No, not a fan.


Marshall then decided to try on Laura's hat but since he didn't want to look "girly," decided to wear it backwards. You look very cool, Marshall!


As you can tell, they take their hat wearing very seriously.



We are thinking we should have hat day more often around here!
Friday, August 30, 2013

New Boy in Town

We'd like you to meet Brenden, the new boy in town! Isn't he handsome?


He's kinda goofy too.


It didn't take long for Wendy to decide that Brenden was her little boy. She loved to push him around on the bike in the backyard. He doesn't seem to mind the attention...


And he's fitting right in with our other cuties too! Annabel and Jonathan were very sweet to make room for him on the merry-go-round.


Welcome, Brenden! We can't wait to watch you grow big and strong... and although we love having you here, we sure do hope that you'll have a forever family before too long!

A Moment at Afternoon Preschool

In the last few months our preschool class in the afternoon has grown quite a bit! One by one Esther, Rebecca, Hudson, and Seth joined Jonathan and Asher in class. 

It's a little unnerving for the newbies on their first day, but Esther is a pro and helped to make Hudson feel at home by sitting close to him during song-time. 


Asher knows just how to look after a little girl, his foster sister Sarah Lyn will be two in October!


Esther certainly was the hit in preschool today. 


Want to join in, Jonathan?


Esther won't mind!


Our students could not get any cuter!

(in case you need proof...)

Thursday, August 29, 2013

NDSouth: On the Move

We love watching our children thrive and reach new developmental goals. It is always a special time when they learn to sit up, crawl, stand, and finally, take their first steps.

Sadie has always been an active little girl and has been pulling herself up on furniture for several months now. We knew that it was just a matter of time before she would be walking. She has been taking steps recently but in just the last few days she has taken off. Yesterday she walked across the whole playroom!


Sadie is definitely "on the move" and we are so very proud of her! We love being able to boost her self-esteem and tell her what a great job she is doing to which she responds with a giggle.


We even captured a video of Miss Sadie for you to enjoy. Way to go Sadie, we are so proud of you!



She is so proud of herself, wouldn't you say? Now on to making sure everything is "Sadie proofed..."
Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Meilin Teaches School


Our kids have been in school all summer (we get more volunteers during this time and the kids get a long break for Chinese New Year), but that doesn't mean that we can start fresh! We have a new teacher in the house, Miss Meilin, and she's here to teach you some math.



Meilin has never been shy to stand up in front and give a demonstration, so when she got a chance to teach class she didn't hesitate. Sure, her lesson was in mostly make-believe words, but we all sound like that when instructing our first class ever, don't we? 


 Have your kids gone back to school yet?
Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Remembering Him

He arrived into our care at just a few weeks old. After having emergency surgery and then being cared for in the hospital, he arrived home, tiny and ready for some lovin'


Day by day we watched him become more alert.


His eyes grew wider and wider... we fell deeper and deeper in love with him.


A very sick baby, Benjamin required specialized care. His nannies gave him just that. 


They adored him. They poured a mama's love into his little soul and we saw it blossom. 


Benjamin was always the sweetest sleeper. And with all of that good sleep he quickly grew into...


...a little boy. Benjamin was almost seven months old when he passed away. There was a fighter's spirit in his eyes, despite the weak body he wore.


After a few days at home again after fighting for his life yet again, Benjamin's condition went downhill again and he had to be admitted into the hospital. The picture below was taken the afternoon he was admitted... it's the last picture we have of him.


 After a struggle to beat the infection that was ravaging his weak lungs and a brief battle with respiratory distress, Benjamin passed on to the place where there is no more pain and no more hospitals. We had his memorial service yesterday.


It's always hard to lose a baby, especially one that we've fought so hard for. But we've learned from experience that remembering them and the miracles that did happen in their lives - from the medically unexplained to the hearts made tender through his story, perspective comes and we can cry with healthy tears. 


When we informed Benjamin's orphanage of his passing they replied with this message:

"宝贝是幸运的,因为有你们的帮助,他的短暂的生命中包涵了那么多的爱,再次感谢."

“Benjamin is lucky, because of your help, he got so much love in his short life. Thank you again."

And thank you - everybody who has prayed and hoped and run for our sweet boy. His life was not in vain. 

The Forever Home: Makin' Beautiful Hair



Our girls love to have their hair made up beautiful!  What girl doesn't?!  Can you guess who's beautiful hair this is?




Yep, it's Zoe's!!  And she looks pretty pleased with it!





Camilla admires her pretty hair in the mirror.  I think she likes it too :)



In Memory of Benjamin


Very Pretty!

Rachel just celebrated her second birthday! In a package from one of her sponsors she received two beautiful dress-up dresses. 


Doesn't she make the most beautiful princess?


The other dress she received was much too big, but Melinda was around and happy to oblige us and try it on. It was a perfect fit!


The day before Rachel received another birthday package with some cute headbands. She got tired of wearing one of the headbands and passed it to Melinda who was, again, happy to wear her "little sister's" clothes. 



Colton walked by and saw Melinda. "真好看!"he commented. "Quite lovely!" 

We wanted to get a picture of Colton and Melinda together for this blog, and so we reinacted the scene. Melinda put on the headband and Colton joined her infront of the camera. Glancing over at her he commented, "真漂亮!" This time meaning, "So pretty!"




You have a good eye, Colton, and yes, Melinda, you are quite lovely looking! 

Happy Birthday, Rachel! Thanks for sharing. 
Monday, August 26, 2013

Virtuoso

Lydia, Isaac and Christopher have always been inclined to music. We've loved watching them dance and sway and babble to anything. Now, that they've grown up a bit, we decided that it was time to introduce some piano lessons into their lives. Sure, they're a little young, but these three are ready.



...especially when the piano is a toy and plays for itself. You didn't think we meant really piano lessons, did you? 

Don't you love Lydia's concentrated and peaceful expression? She really feels the music.


Eventually Isaac got a little tired of being squished between Lydia and Christopher and he went off in search of something else to do. The two remaining musicians kept at their beautiful songs. 


Check out this video that we got of them! You'll love Lydia's little dance - it's too precious.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Being Cute is Hard Work!

...just ask some of our babies. Annabel and Daniel were completely exhausted after a morning of giggling and learning new things, that as soon as they took a few turns around the yard in their stroller they passed out, fast asleep.




Adia was equally exhausted with putting her cutest face forward. This little one sure deserves her rest - she's adorable!  


Ah, but wait! What do we see upon Annabel's fair brow? A drop of sweat... figures, she's one of the cutest sleepers we've ever seen.


Now that the cuties have had their nap, check out some pictures of our adorable babies in our most recent scrapbook! 

Oliver in Therapy

Oliver is a pretty amazing little guy. Look what he learned how to do in therapy last week!




Oliver has special little hands and feet which make doing regular, everyday things difficult. But with lots of therapy and encouraging (and his foster mama is fabulous at encouragement!) we're watching our special little guy make some incredible progress.

Check out the videos we got of him playing with blocks!



He's pretty amazing, isn't he?

  We sure think so!



Ni Hao Yall