Crebbin Happenings

Sweater Shorts Day...

2012-02-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

Yep, my hunka-hunka husband looking hot on Sweater Shorts Day! What, you've never heard of Sweater Shorts Day? Maybe that's because he and three of his ~~childish~~ math teacher friends decided to wear matching outfits to school today, declaring it Sweater Shorts Day. Let's hope this fad doesn't catch on...

I think his Vibram Five Fingers shoes really make the outfit, don't you?

Second Time Around...

2012-02-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Remember this photo from last year?

That was taken last year at Districts, after Josh took second place. Well check out the shot from this year. Josh looks much less tired, and the grins are even bigger, as Josh placed first this year:)

Josh was down 3-5 in the second round, after getting out of a near pin in the first period. Josh was a good boy listening to his ~~dad~~ coach when he ~~called~~ shouted out a move, and Josh pinned the guy. I took this shot just moments before the mat was slapped.

Couldn't wipe the grin off his face until this photo...

Guess it's a requirement to not smile when you are with a group of boys:) Now on to regionals next weekend...

Who Needs Girl Scout Cookies...

2012-02-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

That's right, who needs Girl Scout cookies when you can have these amazing homemade gourmet cookies (and ALL of our proceeds go to a good cause compared to theirs). Once again we are selling cookies to raise money towards the Chaoyang, China orphanage. This year's are Valentine themed; hearts, lips, and flowers. Red, white, pink, or zebra pattern:) You can pick them up before Feb. 14, or pay a little extra to have them delivered on the big day (unless you are reading this from off island...sorry)! She/he will love ~~them~~ you even more than flowers!

Add caption

We can personalize your cookies other than "Hot!"

These are photos from last year's Easter cookies, so you have to imagine them in Valentine colors. Also, flower bouquets can be on sticks.

Please leave a comment if you are interested in supporting the cause. Thanks!

过年好 (guò nián hǎo)...

2012-01-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Yesterday was the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, the year of the Dragon. Michael is a dragon, so this is supposed to be his "special" year. We had our annual get together with other local adoptive families, only with a twist this year. Two of the adoptive families have exchange students this year, and brought some other exchange students along with them, so it really was a multi-cultural experience! Taiwan, Mexico, Germany, and China (exchange students, not just our daughters) were all represented at our celebration, which was a lot of fun.

Only Josh was missing, as he stayed home because he knew that Chinese buffet would be too much of a temptation and torture, since he had to make weight the following day (today...and his dedication paid off, as Mike just sent me a text that he won both his matches tonight, as did the team).

The Reappearance of Normal...

2012-01-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

After six solid days of snow and ice, I am happy to say that we are getting back into the swing of normal, whatever that is. Yesterday was the first time since last Saturday that the girls got out of the house in a car, and boy, did they need it. One stop was the library, and 20 books, 4 books on tape, and 3 videos later, I wish we had all these earlier in the week.

After two canceled practices, the girls are eager for their basketball game today. Because of match count, Josh wasn't heading to today's wrestling tournament, but Mike headed out early this morning, only to find out no one told him the tournament was delayed two hours. Now they have to squeeze into their schedule the match they missed this past week, before districts begin in two weeks.

Speaking of squeezing in, now we have to make up the four school days we missed. We won't know for sure, but it looks like Mike and the kids will be in school until June 20th. With me leaving for China that day, looks like I'll have to catch another ride to the airport. June 18th will most likely be my last day now, which doesn't give me much time to prepare for the trip. Now let's just pray the snow is done for the season, because if we miss more days, that could really mess things up!

Day Four, and Boredom Sets In...

2012-01-18T09:51:00.000-08:00

Yep, this is day four of snow, and my kids are bored. Well truthfully, me too. Sunday's snow was perfect to play in; fresh, dry, no wind, and blue sky. Monday didn't bring much new snow, but it was a holiday, so enjoyed the day off. Tuesday morning added another 4" to the already 6" that came on Sunday. Was a bit windy at times, with that grainy type of snow pelting your face. The kids went outside between winds, so when they complained of boredom inside, we could kick them outside. Today, it is snowing once again, but not in a fun way. Through my window, I am watching the heavy snow laden trees sway in the wind. The snow is more swirling than falling, and it is only supposed to get worse. Tonight's forecast is for winds up to 50 mph, with a windchill factor of zero. Oh power, please don't go out tonight!

Yep, she's eating this snow. Ate quite a bit of it actually.

A free ride back to the top. Way to go Dad!

Jaelyn was so proud. She made this one all by herself. Love the teeny tiny head!

Sunday we made Snow Ice Cream, Monday we made Rice Krispy Treats, Tuesday Rocky Road Brownies, so what shall we make today? The recipe can't include milk, because we are completely out of that. Think maybe this snowstorm is going to cause us all to gain weight due to lack of movement and excessive munching. Fortunately Josh's wrestling match for tonight is cancelled, so he doesn't have to worry about making weight:)

Ice Cream Snow!

Fortunately we had an unopened puzzle, and we also passed time playing Apples to Apples Junior that Jaelyn got for her birthday. Now that was a hoot, but how many hours can we play it today? I could get some housework done? Nah, for now I will just lounge around in my robe and enjoy the family time!

All for a good cause...

2012-01-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

We participated in a fundraiser at Mike's school, and here's what the girls chose....

Now next time I feel myself losing patience with the kids I need to take a deep breath, pull up these photos, and have a good laugh! What trick does it for you?

Go Green Lightning Bolts!

2012-01-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

So the Green Lightning Bolts had their first game yesterday. The girls wanted to be the Fire Dragons, but when there are two girls and eight boys on the team, it's hard to outnumber the boy vote. Regardless, the team played tough, and ~~we won~~ everyone had fun.

Unfortunately my camera kept getting stuck as I was downloading the photos and video, so I had to delete some to get it to work. However, I think you can get the idea of how much fun they were having, and how entertaining the game was. Since there are ten kids on the team, the coaches put in a fresh five players every five minutes, for a 40 minute game. The girls were plenty sweaty after running up and down the court each for 20 minutes, but they never let it slow them down during the game.


Jaelyn's good buddy Gage is on the team too.

Kaia....

Jaelyn....


Team Lightning Bolts!

First Place Finish...

2012-01-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

Josh has had six matches in the last 48 hours, and won them all! Thursday night he pinned his opponent when the team faced of with 7th ranked Everett HS. Last night he won both his matches at a double duel at Hazen HS, where one of Mike's old wrestlers is the head coach. The evening was a special fundraiser for pancreatic cancer. Today he topped it off with a first place finish at the Mercer Island HS tournament. Way to go Josh! Your hard work is paying off.


Sorry for the poor quality, but Mike text me this photo.

I was not at the tournament, as the girls had their first basketball game today. I was hoping to post some video tonight, but I am having some difficulty getting it to work. Will write about that excitement when I get things working.

Happy Birthday Mom, Happy Birthday Insulin!

2012-01-11T19:12:00.000-08:00

Two great things happened today in history; my mother was born (I won't divulge the year), and on this day 90 years ago, the first human received an experimental extract called insulin. Without either, I would not be here today! Happy birthday to both:-)

B and B...

2012-01-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

That's Birthday party and basketball! Sunday Jaelyn finally got to celebrate her birthday with friends at the swimming pool, and had a blast. It wasn't too crowded, and the kids are at the age where we don't have to be in the pool with them anymore:)

The other highlight of the week so far was the girls first basketball practice. It is supposed to be co-ed, but the girls are the only two females out of eight on the team, but I think they will hold their own just fine. Three of the kids played last year, but the girls didn't show their inexperience at practice. This Saturday will be their first game, after just one practice, so should be quite entertaining!

Happy New 8th Birthday...

2012-01-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

So many reasons to celebrate today, but the first that comes to mind is our sweet Jaelyn's birthday! The girls actually went to their first birthday slumber party last night, New Year's Eve, for a friend whose birthday is also today. When I picked them up shortly before church, they looked like robotic-like zombies stuffing donuts into their mouth. I can't believe they actually made the whole day without napping or falling apart! And we didn't have any difficulty putting them down early, to start back into the school routine tomorrow. Well that is, everyone except me:) I whined two weeks ago as everyone was out of school days before me, but now that we are on the back end of vacation, I'm happy to have a day of rest to myself. Did I say rest? What I really meant was a day to catch up on all the little things I have neglected and procrastinated on completing earlier!

But I digress; back to Jaelyn's birthday....after I picked them up from their robotic state, Jaelyn was shaken back to reality by opening one gift before church. Little did she know that it contained two things that she would use at church today (which by the way, was the most empty I had ever seen it today. Let's not do New Year's on a Sunday again for awhile!). It was a shoo-in that she would love the new dress, since it had a doggy on the back. And she had asked for a new Bible that she could read, but wasn't too babyish, so she was thrilled by that too.

Look how tired she looks!

But not 15 minutes later, all spoofed up and ready to head to church!

Thank goodness for the beautiful weather today, so my loud children could go outside to play fight. Poor Kellen was trapped inside his car, as the girls had their swords drawn (Josh's Christmas present to his sisters) as he pulled up, waiting to pounce the moment he opened the car door. This photo is blurry, but that's because none of them would stand still long enough during the battle. This one has all four in one photo, with Jaelyn's shot ready to penetrate Josh. When it's your birthday, it doesn't matter if someone claims to be impervious to nerf guns, so I think the girls won!

After everyone settled down, we played Uno, ate Jaelyn's birthday choice of pasta dinner, followed by some delicious cake, to top off a wonderful day of celebrating. Kaia requested to say the prayer at dinner tonight, and I couldn't help but grin as she said "Thank you God for choosing Mom and Dad to be Jaelyn and my parents." It doesn't get much better than that!

Next weekend will be the birthday party, when life after the holidays slows down just a bit....

Seven Years...

2011-12-31T23:39:00.000-08:00

While in Portland we celebrated seven years since bringing Kaia into our family. Since we are usually traveling this time of year, part of the annual celebration usually has us eating at Essence of China, where Kaia was honing her chopstick skills this time.

Notice two new lost teeth in the past week!

Was a lot of work to get those last noodles picked up!

This year we may have inadvertently started a new tradition. Following dinner, Josh talked me into taking him to Voodoo Doughnuts, which is well known around the country, and we have seen on the Travel Channel's "No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain." Once there we selected unique donuts to take back to the celebration, such as the Bacon Maple Bar, No Name (doughnut with chocolate frosting, rice krispies and peanut butter), and Miami Vice Berry, to name a few. Guess which one of those the girls ate??? I have a feeling this wasn't our last trip to Voodoo!

1,000 miles....

2011-12-31T21:57:00.000-08:00

That's how many miles we put drove in the past week, but it was time well spent. The trip was broken up into three Christmas celebrations. First, stockings and a few gift exchanges with my family in Portland...

Josh and Grandma making her famous peanut butter balls

China Dolls:)

Piggy socks:)

Next stop, actual Christmas in Klamath Falls with all Mike's brothers and their families. The girls got to take part in Uncle Rob and Aunt Alisha's annual Dollar Store shopping trip where they purchased and wrapped the following gifts...

Jaelyn bought Mike a blue oven mitt


Jaelyn picked out a coffee cup for me (how did she know?) and the festive hat for Josh. Kaia got each brother a cap gun and matching mardi gras necklaces for the whole family!

Here are the kids opening their gifts (There was only one for each under the tree) from us; matching Mickey Mouse water bottles! They were so pleased with the gift that we could've gotten away with just spending $4 for each. ~~Well, maybe not Josh.~~

But little did they know that it was about to get even better, as there was a note in each bottle.

Yeah, we're getting pretty good with surprises this year (okay, Josh already knew). It may be hard to out-do in 2012!

Here are some other fun and crazy photos from our time with the Crebbin family...

Mame's surprise from all the kids, a new kitchen table.

Which cousin has the better hair and retro tshirt?

Sorry Mame, but had to post the fun silly photo!


THE boys!

We then hit the road again, back to Portland for some more family and friends Christmas celebrations...

Josh with Great Grandpa Inks

Girls singing and signing "Our God is an Awesome God" with Grandma accompanying (which was then followed by "Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer," no kidding)

Girls opening gifts from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Lorrie, who are watching on the video phone in the background.

The only thing that could've made this Christmas any better would've been having Kellen with us (and maybe some snow)! I will post Kaia's Gotcha Day celebration separately.

Think She's Excited???

2011-12-21T23:09:00.000-08:00

This is what I found when I went in to check on the girls tonight...

Yep, we leave tomorrow, so they are super excited! Here's how we spent today...

Josh had three wins and a forfeit today. The kid pictured above beat Josh for the district championship last season, and Josh beat him today 11-2!

Christmas Silliness...

2011-12-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas silliness began in our house last night, as we celebrated early with Kellen. Due to his work schedule, he is unable to travel to Oregon with us. Instead, he will be house sitting for us (and making time and a half!). So we had a Christmas breakfast for dinner, then spent the evening playing games.

Of course, put the two brothers together and they torture their sisters (in an oh so loving way, of course). We started out by playing Disney Charades again.

Team Dad (Kellen, Kaia, Dad)...

vs. Team Mom (Joshua, Jaelyn, and I)...

As you can see, there were some pretty intense and competitive moments....

Next up, River Rush for the X-Box Kinect. The girls were getting so frustrated with the boys, as the boys' goal was to do everything wrong, scoring the lowest score ever! My very competitive girls did not like this plan:( The more upset the girls would get, the sillier the boys were. Then the boys decided that instead of playing against one another, they would play the active game as conjoined twins, sharing the same pair of pajama bottoms. Oh how I wish I could post photos, but Josh did not want me posting photos of him with the exposed side just covered by undies! Trust me on this one, they were funny.

I know this photo is fuzzy, but it shows the enthusiasm of the evening. Sometimes I get frustrated with the loudness of my family, but deep down I know it is just a reflection of all the love in our home!


Notice Kellen is being uncooperative and trying to sabotage the group effort yet one more time...

Santa came early...

2011-12-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

Guess we were extra nice this year, because look what Santa brought early:

Just look at the smiles on those faces! Shhhh.....they don't even realize they are exercising!

New Tradition....

2011-12-03T22:45:00.000-08:00

If you know me well, you know I love my family traditions! For about 18 Christmas seasons now, since Kellen was little, one of our favorite traditions has been to go as a family to cut down our Christmas tree at Woodbee Tree farm. You can see my annual holiday posts since I began in 2007, then 2008, 2009, and last year's hail trip (trip down memory lane...check out how much the kids have grown!). The only year I think we missed was 2004, since we were spending Christmas in China adopting Kaia we did not put up a tree that year. We always enjoyed some hot cider around the fire, Christmas music playing, petting Randolph, and of course, seeing Santa.

Which brings me to today. Not even an hour before heading out for this season's trip with the entire family, I noticed a friends' facebook post that Woodbee's had closed. What? Darn that recession! Doesn't anyone know you can't mess with tradition? So we reluctantly packed in the van and head off to explore another local u-cut farm. Below you can see Mike and I lovingly leading the pack...

The kids were having a great time playing tag amongst the trees as Mike and I searched for just the right tree (We never worry about losing our kids in public, as we can always hear them a mile away).

Josh never put down the saw the entire time. Guess he doesn't know that "Don't run with scissors and knives!" applies to blades also.

Notice anything missing from the photo below?

This was us leaving, and the only thing Josh didn't use his saw on was our tree. After spending nearly an hour looking at every tree on this big tree farm, we didn't pick any! Each one we stopped to look at either had a "sold" sign on it, was too yellow in color, or had such an awkward trunk that there was no way we could squeeze it into our stand. Not to mention the girls were completely disappointed that there was no Santa. So we piled back into the van, drove back into town, and pulled over at the first lot we came to. We happened to see one at Skagit Farmers Supply, so we pulled over and saw the most beautiful Oregon trees that I had been missing since my childhood! We quickly picked out a beautiful six foot Grand Fir and bungeed it to the top of our van. What made it even sweeter, was that the trees were being sold to raise funds for an orphanage in Thailand. Turns out there is an organization here on the island called Displaced Orphans International that was selling the trees.

Don't they look tired from cutting down this tree? At least we spent the afternoon together, and I was truly happy to give up our family tradition to support a worthy cause. In fact, I hope that they become a part of our new family tradition!

Rest for the Weary....

2011-11-28T20:28:00.000-08:00

You think with staying home over the holiday, I would have had time to post to my blog, but I guess I was just ~~plain lazy~~ needing rest! We are always on the go over Christmas, so it is nice to have a slowed-down pace for Thanksgiving, especially since I had three days of conferences preceding the break. We had a lot of family time, enjoyed some competitive games of Disney Charades, ate lots of food, and did a little shopping. I do feel guilty that I didn't snap any photos though, so you'll just have to take my word for it. The only other news to post is that Jaelyn lost another tooth, and had a visit from the parent fairy (her words, not ours)!

My Hero!

2011-11-16T21:50:00.000-08:00

Josh had quite the scare today when he got called down to the office to see the dean. On the long walk down, he was trying to rack his brain as to what he had done wrong. It didn't help that when he walked in he was greeted by a man who introduced himself as "Detective (fill in the blank). " When he mentioned the fire investigator in the other room, Josh sighed with relief, as he then knew what he was called down for.

The story starts back on Saturday night when Josh headed out to take the girls to see Puss n' Boots while Mike and I were at an auction. Turns out that Josh's timing was impeccable, as he saved a house from burning to the ground! As he was looking to the left, turning right off our street, he noticed smoke aglow under the street light. When he looked to see the source, he saw flames shooting out of his friends bedroom, so he pulled over, jumped out of the car, and dialed 911. The girls were a bit frightened (but later just more upset they missed the movie). The aide cars arrived very quickly, and were able to contain the fire to Keifer's room. Josh got a hold of him, but found he was off island for the weekend. I truly believe that Josh's timing was ultimately God's perfect timing!

Turns out the investigators still are unsure as to what happened that night, as no one was home, and it seemed to start in the center of a bedroom that was not being used. Josh had to give a statement today as to what happened, and they were asking questions such as "Did you see anyone else around?" or "Did you hear anyone in the bushes?" So we will be watching the local paper for more information (for now it has only made the police blotter), and I will update if I hear more.

Way to go Josh, you are my hero! To quote Josh's friend, "Dude, Thanks! I'm going to say that a million times."

D-blog Day!

2011-11-09T22:53:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, you are wondering what the heck D-blog Day is, right? Well in a nutshell, D-blog day was started on November 9th 2005 during Diabetes Awareness Month, to help unite diabetes bloggers and create awareness about diabetes. Why is that important you ask? Living with a lifelong invisible illness can be lonely at times, and the many diabetes blogs and interactive community sites that can now be found online, have helped unite those in that community.

I wasn't going to post about D-blog day today, as I don't find my life with diabetes very exciting or interesting to read. However, as I was awoken last night by an obnoxious "beeeeppp," I knew that today was not getting off to a good start (which equals something interesting to write about). You see my continuous glucose monitor receiver, whom I lovingly refer to as Louise (my insulin pump is Thelma), died last night. The amazingly bright side to that story? I had three days left on my warranty, so they shipped me a new one today!

If you want to view other dblog posts for dblog day, you can find 186 other posts here (or maybe even more now. You may know someone who could benefit from knowing there is a supportive diabetes community out there!

Cheap Payoff

2011-11-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

Are we terrible parents? We enticed Kellen to take his sisters Trunk or Treating for the mere payoff of this. Wish everything was this easy!

It wasn't like we were trying to get out of being in the cold though, as we wanted to watch Josh's final JV football game (he gets a lot of playing time at the JV level; not so much for varsity). I did get the girls ready though, and snapped some photos before my princess and cowgirl headed out. Note, one of my girls is still very much into horses!

They had fun bonding with their oldest brother, and yes, Josh's team won. From the candy, to the eggnong, to the win, I say it was a good night for us all!

Fall Festivities...

2011-10-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

The entire family (well, those of us that live under the same roof) was home on Friday night, so we decided to make it a family night by carving pumpkins. Jaelyn chose a cat, while Kaia went with a dolphin. What says Halloween better than a marine mammal??? Oh well, I never liked scary growing up either. I was never very creative when carving pumpkins as a kid either. That's why I love the convenience of printing pumpkin stencils off the computer! We googled what each girl wanted, printed them off, and taped the pictures onto the pumpkins so they could use a pushpin to poke holes as guidelines to cut along. Mike helped with the cutting part, and walaaa, wonderful jack-o-lanterns!

Joshua has always been creative with his pumpkins, so he went with an original on his albino pumpkin. Unfortunately we didn't get his on camera, but he said it was a self-portrait, with pumpkin guts trailing out the mouth. Nice touch Josh!

To finish it all off, that's where I come in. I love baked pumpkin seeds! Although Kaia selected a gigantic pumpkin to carve, I didn't harvest as many seeds as I hoped. Jaelyn's pumpkin was completely rotten inside. Strange, because it looked great on the outside. The seeds I did bake turned out delicious though.

Photo courtesy of Kaia:)

On Saturday my volleyball season came to an end after a hard fight to the end. We had 3 matches for a total of 12 games, and lost the final one by just two points to stop us from moving on to tri-districts. As always, the silver lining is I now get two weeks with my family before wrestling begins! Our girls also had their final game on Saturday, and this week Josh's football team begins their playoffs. Now let's hope this miserable weather dies down for tomorrow's trunk or treat...

The Clock Struck Midnight...

2011-10-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

The girls got to play Cinderella the past couple of days, as they were on the homecoming royalty court for Oak Harbor High School. They practiced their princess waves from the back of a convertible in Thursday's parade...

Takes after his dad...

escorted the king and queen at an assembly, where they had to speak in front of a packed gymnasium ("Kaia, what's your favorite TV Show?"...."iCarly." "Jaelyn, what's your favorite Disney princess?"...."Cinderella.")...

and escorted the royalty again at halftime...

Josh's date was sophomore princess

Love this photo. Doesn't Jaelyn look like Shirley Temple?

I would've never thought that Kaia could sit still for nearly an hour to get her hair done, nor did I think my two Chinese girls could have such curly hair. But then the clock struck midnight, and it was back to regular ole' Cinderella. Actually it was the 9:00 am soccer game in the rain that washed the last remnants of curls away!

The events of the last two days over shadowed my birthday on Thursday. Actually, the whole experience was a delightful birthday to me, as their enthusiasm brought many smiles to my face. I took Friday, the day after my birthday, off, to go along with them to their hair appt., photo shoot, etc., as did Mike, so family time was a great gift. Kellen came to my game Thursday night (we won), and Josh's game Friday night (they won 69-0), so it truly was quality family time.

Josh is at homecoming as I am typing. Unfortunately his date had a volleyball tournament all day, so he didn't have extra time for me to get photos of the two of them together. Her mom was supposed to take some when he picked her up, so hopefully I will be able to post some at a later date. In the meantime, here's my handsome boy (we thought the orange and black was in honor of today's OSU game vs. WSU, but he says his date's wearing orange).

Sports, Smiles, and Selebrations...

2011-10-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know that I misspelled celebration, but I wanted the alliteration, and couldn't think of another "s" word that fit. Oh well.

This week was full of sports and celebrations. It began by an amazing volleyball game Thursday night against our rivals. After losing the first two games, my team fought their way back in to win the match 3-2. The crowd was over the top, and I was so proud of my team. To top it off my family was their to witness it all, including my parents. The photographer from the paper snapped a picture of us following the game and sent it to me. Thanks John!

Friday we did not travel to Josh's football game, and instead, played a family duel of Uno. Josh's team won again, and their team is now ranked 7th in state! This week is homecoming, and the following week pits them against the other undefeated team in the league, the playoffs, so football will be on our schedule for a few more weekends.

Saturday started with an early, chilly soccer game, but the Crebbin girls played hard regardless. Besides Grandma and Papa cheering them on, Kellen and his girlfriend rooted them on too.

The day turned into a beautiful afternoon, so we headed to the pumpkin patch. Of course, to the girls, the bigger the better, so we had to do a lot of searching to find just the right one (not quite as challenging as our Christmas Tree searches, but almost). We continued the celebratory feeling by Mike and I celebrating the weekend between our birthdays, which seems to have turned into a tradition! We don't have much time midweek, so the weekend between our birthdays is usually the perfect time.

Pre-Birthday Celebration

2011-10-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

Since Mike will be traveling to Josh's away football game tomorrow, and Kellen had today off, we decided to celebrate Mike's birthday a day early. Among his favorite gifts from the kids was the Spider Catcher, which he had asked for after seeing the commercial on TV. If you didn't know, he is terribly afraid of spiders, and we have had a lot around here this fall. Unfortunately the gift did not arrive in the mail on time, so he opened this printout of his gift:)

Today was an amazingly beautiful fall day, so the entire family headed out for an afternoon of frisbee golf at Ft. Nugent Park. Even our dog Romeo played! Eighteen holes can be a long time for 7 year olds, but they did great and have fairly decent throwing skills. Of course, since it was Mike's pre-birthday celebration, we decided to let him win! Notice each person's unique throwing style:

While Mike and Josh headed out on a run, Kellen and I prepared one of Mike's favorite dishes together, Chipotle Macaroni & Cheese. Kellen did not enjoy cooking when he was a young kid, but now that he is out and on his own, he is wanting to learn more, so we had a good time fixing dinner together. For dessert we chose a Kahlua cream pie instead of a cake, so it cooled off the spiciness of the chipotle, and slid down into our already quite full tummies a bit easier. The number "7" flashed on and off the candle, so we let the girls practice their math skills by adding the missing 40 years.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

Hanging On...

2011-10-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

To say this has been a tough school year so far is an understatement. At times I have felt overwhelmed, as if I am a first year teacher again (despite being in my 20th year)! On top of being in a new position, the little time I do get for planning is spent in meetings and paperwork.

I am so thankful for a supportive husband and family. The song below has been very uplifting to me lately, so I thought I would share it here in case you needed something to hang on to also....

Verse 1:
I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you to open my eyes
To see that You’re shaping my life
Pre-Chorus:
All I am, I surrender
Chorus:
Give me faith to trust what you say
That you’re good and your love is great
I’m broken inside, I give you my life
Verse 2:
I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you pierce through the dark
And cleanse every part of me
Bridge:
I may be weak
But your Spirit’s strong in me
My flesh may fail
My God you never will

Invisible Illness Week...

2011-09-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know (like I didn't), today wraps up Invisible Illness Week. What, you haven't celebrated it yet? Well then let me enlighten you. Before I go any further, let me credit Kerri at Six Until Me for the source of this meme.

30 Things About My Invisible Illness: 2011

1. The illness I live with is: type 1 diabetes
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year: 1992
3. But I had symptoms since: Just a few weeks before my diagnosis in May that year
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: Carrying a big enough purse to haul all my diabetes related "stuff," like my glucose monitor, extra pump batteries, glucose tablets, snacks, etc. Also, losing my spontaneity in being able to go anywhere without it.
5. Most people assume: that because I'm a PE teacher and coach, I wouldn't have such a disease. Another assumption is that because I wear a pump and a glucose monitor, then I don't have to poke my finger to test my blood sugar, and things sort of self-monitor themselves.
6. The hardest part about mornings are: not being able to eat cereal, which I love! Cereal in the morning skyrockets my blood sugar!
7. My favorite medical TV show is: I Didn't Know I was Pregnant on TLC. It's outrageous; I mean, how in the world can you not know that???!!!
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: Definitely my insulin pump!
9. The hardest part about nights are: It doesn't happen very often since wearing my Dexcom, but waking up in the middle night with the chills, soaked in sweat, is the worst feeling.
10. Each day I take 1 pill & one vitamin D with calcium. Who knew Hypothyroidism and Type I diabetes went hand in hand? The vitamin is because I am now over 40:) Oh yeah, I infuse insulin 24/7.
11. Regarding alternative treatments I: have been annoyed over the years with people suggesting various treatments for my diabetes. Excuse me, but if there was a cure by now, I think the rest of us would know about it!
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: Neither, but I don't see that option. Guess it would be invisible, then I can make the choice when and to whom I want to share it with.
13. Regarding working and career: I've been able to talk a lot about diabetes with my students, and love teaching about living a healthy lifestyle.
14. People would be surprised to know: there is no such thing as "being in good control" of your blood sugars. It's a minute to minute thing.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been: don't really have a good answer for this one, as I pretty much accepted it from the beginning.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: nothing here either, although in the beginning I did hear people mention "not being able to have babies." I love proving people wrong anyhow.
17. The commercials about my illness: the ones about the "pain free" way to check your blood sugar crack me up. After nineteen years of poking my fingers, they are so calloused that I don't feel a thing!
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is: shopping for clothing when I don't have to worry about whether or not I can accessorize it with my pump
19. It was really hard to have to give up: ... smoking (just kidding, never did!)
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is: reading food labels;-)
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would: go mountain climbing with my husband, without having to worry about my blood sugars dropping
22. My illness has taught me: that's an easy one...self-discipline
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is: asking/telling me that I "can't eat something." Funny how they know me better than I do...
24. But I love it when people: ask me sincere questions about diabetes
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: that they aren't alone, and a life of moderation is key
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is: I am actually healthier than almost anyone I know. Know what you can and cannot control. This is key.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: keeping the kids out of my room:)
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because: I don't usually blog about my diabetes, not because I hide it, but it's just a part of my life that I think would bore people to read about. Some of you reading this may not have even know I had it. I guess that's why I found the reference to it being an "invisible illness"intriguing.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: like you know a little more about me now, and since you have read to the bottom, you must be interested. Questions, ask away...

Sept. 8th, double duty..

2011-09-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

My first chance to breathe since starting back to school this week. Open House, volleyball matches, soccer practice, working in the concession stand, etc., etc. Here are the kids on their first day of school...

Poor Josh had to double his birthday with the first day of school! Unfortunately I had an away game that night, so we didn't get to do much celebrating. We definitely made up for it on the weekend though, as we had a big BBQ with 20+ of his friends. It really turned out to be a great time, and he has a great group of friends.

You Know You're Getting Older When...

2011-09-01T21:54:00.000-07:00

You definitely know you are not a teenager anymore when you get kitchen appliances for your birthday, and you are excited about it. That's right, Kellen is now 20 years old! Where did the time go? Along with tickets to yet another year of Bumbershoot, he was ecstatic to receive a Magic Bullet and an electric hot water pot (you know, to heat up water for the ramen noodles!) as gifts.

But the best gift was obviously the nerf gun the girls picked out for him. However, they didn't like it quite as much when he used them for targets:( While we were in line waiting to buy the gift, I was telling Kaia that Kellen was going to be 20. She asked if that meant he was going to get married soon, to which I responded "A long time from now if we are buying him toys like this still!"

He also asked to play his favorite game, Munchkin Zombies, to which we conceded (and we "let" him win)...

Jaelyn played the roll of photographer, and took pictures of everything around the house. Thank goodness for digital cameras! She did get a good shot though of the pork chops that Kellen requested, and Mike barbecued!

What better way to top it off with than a blizzard cake from DQ!

Does this look like an adult to you???

I think not, but you gotta love him!

The Girls' Turn...

2011-08-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

So this week it was the girls turn to go hiking with Mike. The goal, to conquer Sauk Mountain, which not only they accomplished, but our dog Romeo did too! Kaia started to drag about 1.5 miles into the hike, but was re-energized once they hit snow.

They peaked at over 5,500 ft., and enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers and scenery along the 4.2 mile trail. The only downside was that they were not the only ones who ventured out that day, as the trail was quite busy.

Mike has been talking one more hike before the end of the summer, which unfortunately is coming all too quickly.

Next Adventure....

2011-08-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

So it didn't take long for the boys to be off on their next adventure. This one was steeper, higher, and longer, and according to Mike, "Not as much fun, because we couldn't slide down it!" There was very little snow, so they had to climb down, as well as up, which in all, took eleven hours.

They did have more company though, as Kellen joined them ~~this trip~~ for most of the trip. Here they are energized and ready to go at the beginning of the hike.

Seems he discovered he was a little out of shape with about a mile to go, so he rested his legs while Mike and Josh finished the trip. Unfortunately there was little shade where they left him, so he got a bit of extra sun, despite having copious amounts of sunscreen on already. That's the downside of being 6200' high!

That red dot Josh is pointing at is Kellen!

Looking down at Kellen (click on photo to be able to see red dot)!

From the top of Mt. Pugh they had a 360 degree view of many peaks in the beautiful Cascades. To the south was Mt. Rainier...

Looking north at Mt. Baker...

And of course, for me, their "living dangerous" photos...

There's talk of one more trip before the end of the summer. Kellen is determined to peak with Mike this time. I look forward to sharing more of their incredible photos.

Sunriver...

2011-08-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

So as I mentioned in my last post, we made a mad dash last week for Sunriver after Josh headed off to church camp. Mike's mom was attending the Sunriver Music Festival for her 25th straight year, and as always, invites family to stop in and join her for a few days at the condo she rents. Since Josh was gone, and Kellen was working, most of our activities while there focused around our girls. And speaking of girls, Mike was feeling a bit in the minority, since two of our nieces and their cousin were also there at the same time. Sunriver has an ample amount of bike paths, so the girls were really able to hone their skills. Swimming, horseback riding, and a magic show were also on the agenda. Mame purchased the girls these cowgirl hats while they were still giddy, following their ride!

On our way home we made our seemingly annual stop for food at the Whitehursts house, long-time friends from our humble beginnings as Navy friends! As always, we enjoyed great company, and wonderful food! It was a first for us, BBQ pizza. Everyone made their individual pizza, and Donald oh so carefully grilled each one to perfection. Poor guy had to wait to be the last one to eat.

Preparing the dough to rise


You would think she meant to roll the dough into a heart Anticipation... Adding the sauce and toppings before another grilling to melt the cheese

Two proud pizza makers!

Deeeelicious!

World's Best Parents...

2011-08-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

Or so, at least that's how our daughters referred to us after we surprised them with a horseback riding trail ride while we were in Sunriver last week. They did not know where they were going, so I captured their reaction as we pulled up to the stables...

Now that we are back home, I'm not so sure our status is quite so high as "World's Best" all the time, but we do our best:-) More on our trip in a later post...

50 YEARS!!!

2011-08-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a full day of celebration, honoring my parents' 50th wedding anniversary! We began the day at the Woodland Park Zoo. The weather was perfect zoo weather; not too hot so the animals are inactive, but not too cold for us to be without jackets (you never know in Seattle). The grizzlies were probably the most entertaining, as they were active in the water right next to the protective glass. Of course, my own family provided much zoo entertainment too!

The evening was for the adults, as we had an evening of laughter at the Teatro ZinZanni dinner show in Seattle. If you haven't gone, I highly suggest it for a highly special evening (since it can be quite spendy). We had great seats on the floor for the interactive show, so we became a part of the entertainment. The show changes every few months, and the one we saw was Hail Caesar! Thus the photo below...

Even better than the zoo, according to the girls, were the alpacas on my brother's property. Jeff, Lorrie, and daughter Stephanie own and operate Liberty Alpacas. Between their own, boarding, or "just visiting" for breeding, they currently have 34 alpacas on their property! There were plenty of newly born too, including one just four days old. The babies were all curious about the cute girls in their pasture, so would come right up to check them out. Their favorite by far was Mira, who is the friendliest alpaca you have ever seen (if you have seen any). They typically are a bit on the skiddish side, but this sweet thing would come lay with the girls, kiss them, and put her head on their lap. But no, no matter how much they beg, we cannot get one of our own!

Hiking, or Climbing???

2011-08-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Mike casually mentioned that he and Josh were going to go "hiking" on Wednesday. Being the supportive wife I am, and happy that he and his son were going to be doing some male bonding, I eagerly supported this venture. The night before they headed out, Mike told me he would email me a location, so I was aware of where they would be. I should've been more suspect over their adventure when I read the email the next morning; If we don't contact you before it gets dark, call 911. "Geez, I just thought they were going on a little hike in the mountains," I thought. I guess it never hurts to be prepared for anything.

Here's my idea of a hike, and what I assumed the entire day would be like. Notice the beautiful scenery, walking sticks, ~~breathrite~~, gentle uphill climb.

Well from the photos below, you can see I was obviously mistaken!

See the lookout on top this peak?

Guess where this was taken...

This was the "hike" leading there (click on the photo and you can see the lookout in the larger photo)...

That building was the Hidden Lake Lookout, and it had a beautiful view overlooking Hidden Lake. It was frozen over, but you could see bits of magnificently pristine blue water around the edges.

After that ascent, they climbed to one more peak, with more beautiful views of Mt. Baker and other glorious sites. Look closely and you can see the lookout they just occupied, as seen from the second peak...

In all it took them six hours to climb up, but only two hours to get down. Think Mike had an accident coming down?

Nope, they just took a shortcut that left him cold and wet...

Now that I know the definition of "hiking," I am a little hesitant of their expressed desire to do this more often. However, looking at the breathtaking views, and wanting to encourage them spending more time together, I will not voice my concern (and who knows, maybe even join them someday:).

Class in Lake Chelan???

2011-07-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

Yep, I actually spent a week in class at Lake Chelan! I felt like I was in college again, wanting to skip class to play frisbee or hacky sack when the sun finally came out. However, unlike my younger days, wisdom told me I better not do that. Since the hotel was free, Mike and the girls tagged along and spent their days swimming, swimming, swimming, hiking, swimming, swimming, picking blueberries, and more swimming. Get the idea?

Our hotel had a great covered bbq area, so we could grill dinner each night. Here's the chef himself:)

Trail at Echo Ridge, above Manson, where we were staying. Must be at the beginning, since they are still smiling!

Snack time!

Feeding the goats at Sunshine Farms

Jaelyn's turn

Family photo op. This was actually after class, in the town of Chelan

The only proof that I was with them this week. Jaelyn snapped a pretty decent photo of us!


Photo op with a barn owl while at the Chelan Farmer's Market.

I think their wish became "I hope this 4-hr. hike ends soon!" Actually, Mike said they were real troopers.

View of Lake Chelan from their hike.

Jaelyn snapped this one too.

Fun times

I heard a lot about this lizard!

Such a sweet photo op

Chaoyang Team 2011 Video...

2011-07-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

I finally got the Chaoyang Team 2011 Video finished. I must give credit to Jared Patterson on our team, as he took a majority of the photos and graciously allowed me to use them. I just love looking at all the beautiful faces!

Not to be Outdone....

2011-07-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

It's only been 2.5 weeks since Kaia learned how to ride a two wheeler, so that was motivation enough for Jaelyn to follow suit. She had some challenges balancing since she had to lean forward to accomodate her short arm, so Mike rigged something up so she wouldn't have to. I will decorate it later so it matches her bike and looks cute. Also, Jaelyn is not nearly the risk taker that Kaia is, so it took her some coaxing to trust me in working with her. Before you know it, she was grinning ear to ear with her success. The first time she did an extended loop on her own, she hopped off her bike, running to each one of us, jumping up and down and proudly exclaiming "I did it, I did it!" I wish I had my camera then, but I did run in and get it before the second ride. As you can see, she still had the grin pasted on her face. Stopping is still something that needs working on!

Crazy Camping...

2011-07-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

I know the rest of the country seems to be scorching hot, but here in the PNW we are experiencing an unusually rainy and cooler summer than usual. Not that it gets very hot here, but this summer we get ecstatic when it hits 65 degrees! That is why we were so looking forward to getting away to the east side of the state, where it is typically much dryer and warmer. Unless you are from here, most people don't realize that much of Oregon and Washington is actually desert-like climate.

Mike and Josh spent a week at wrestling camp, then headed to Wenatchee for football camp. A friend and I and our three girls were going to spend four days camping nearby, at a state park along the Columbia River. We should've known we were in for it the first day when we came back from the playground to find our campsite completely soaked by sprinklers. And when I say completely, I mean outside/inside and underneath tent, as well as the picnic table in a large puddle of water. The sprinklers were still on when we arrived, so we had to brave the water to strategically block the sprinklers with our food and storage bins. Wish I had photos of us scrambling around, but at the time I was not seeing the humor in it all! Once we dried everything out and moved our tent from the standing water, we were able to enjoy ourselves at the water area for the afternoon.

However, that was short lived as it rained while we prepared dinner. I was attempting to start a campfire to roast hotdogs (usually Mike's job), but the rain was hindering my efforts. We quickly went to plan B, boiling them, and had a picnic inside our once dry, but now wet again tent! Did I mention my lame attempt to start a fire? Not only was it raining, but I had no kindling, and limited amounts of newspaper. I abandoned my efforts to join the crew in the tent for dinner. The girls were disappointed that s'mores were not going to be on the menu for later that night. Imagine my surprise when Kaia stepped our of the tent to exclaim "Mom, I see flames in the fire!" Yep, the fire started on its own, thanks to the wind that kicked up, along with the rain. So everyone went to bed with full tummies and smiles on their faces.

So proud of myself, even though I didn't really do anything!

Speaking of wind, for the second night in a row it blew all night, and we awoke to the return of the rain. And not just a little. RAIN! We spent the early morning in the tent, thankfully entertaining the girls with a portable DVD player. We realized that our belongings were once again getting wet, as the water was seeping up through the seams of our tent floor. Call us whimps, but we were done with rain and sprinklers, all while entertaining two 7 year olds and a 6 year old. Priceline to the rescue! That's right, we did what any city girls would do, hopped on the iPhone and grabbed a decent hotel with a pool, then quickly packed up, and got the heck out of dodge.

Only Kaia forced a smile, feigning to be having fun!

We never looked back, and enjoyed the next two days with heated pools, showers, and real beds! Unfortunately some bug hit Josh's football team while at camp, so they called it quit a day early and headed home. Fortunately neither Mike or Josh got sick, but many did. What a crazy, but memorable crazy camping trip it was!

More China...

2011-07-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

...Only this time, China came to us! This week we hosted two young girls on exchange from Chongqing, China. Amanda is 13 and very limited in her Chinese. Jenny is 14, and did most of the speaking for the two of them, although her English is only somewhat better. What cracked me up was that Kaia and Jaelyn loved spending time with them, and would have quite the one way conversations with the girls!

When they first arrived and I showed them their rooms (now that Kellen is gone we have a spare room, and Josh's room was available due to he and Mike being at wrestling camp), they were both scared of falling out of Josh's loft bed. I told them they could share the guest room, but Jenny finally agreed to stay in Josh's room. Well it only took one day for that space to become the hangout, where I heard typical girl chatter and much giggling taking place. It might have been in a foreign language, but teenage girls are the same everywhere! I even caught them taking photos of Josh's photo! I understood "Justin Bieber" when they were chatting while looking at his photos. Kind of glad that he was gone while they were here, or I think there would have been some mad crushes! I took the girls to Kellen's apartment one day, and they were quite shy around him. Not the same two girls that were giggling in their room earlier.


Jaelyn, Jenny, me, Amanda, and Kaia saying goodbye.

Time went by to quickly, and they had to move on to another family since we are going camping and I have class coming up. We are hoping to be able to make the farewell party in August. Josh will be back, so I will definitely take him to meet the girls:) Since our conversations were so limited, I'm not exactly sure where they thought Mike and Josh were, so it may be a complete surprise to them to actually meet the rest of the family.

In typical Chinese fashion, the girls came laden with gifts for us. A beautiful purple fan (how did Jenny know my favorite color) and stand, a wallet made out of Chinese yuan, three music CD's, several Chinese paper cutouts, a stuffed pig for Jaelyn, and a teacup for Kaia. But my favorite gift was the new Starbucks coffee mug! How did Amanda know I have a collection of mugs from this exact same series? When she gave it to me I enthusiastically dragged her over to my cupboard to show her my other three mugs. She must've thought I was some crazy lady!

Chopstick Wars...

2011-07-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

John from our Chaoyang team had this great idea during our restless wait for food one afternoon. Funny thing is we asked for fast food that day so we could spend more time shopping that afternoon, than eating. Turns out it was our longest wait of any of the meals! So John had this crazy idea to film us having chopstick ~~wars~~ practice. You can hear how competitive it got!

New Life...

2011-07-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Refreshing scene on our back porch!

R.I.P.

2011-07-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

Today we received the sad news that our dear Grace died. I am so glad God chose us to hold her and show her love while she was here on Earth. I only wish we could've done more. May she rest in peace, forever in His arms....

Summer School....

2011-07-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today's lesson at summer school was Bike Riding 101, and Kaia passed with flying colors. Jaelyn's session was Videography 101, and she did quite well herself!

Photo Snapshot....

2011-07-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some beautiful photos that our team member, Jared Patterson, took while in China. No words are necessary....

Land of the Free...

2011-07-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

We made it home safe and sound! We left the Beijing hotel at 3:30 am, so as you can see from the photos of Courtney and Kendra sleeping at the airport, we were pretty exhausted, despite the much awaited Starbucks.

We landed in Seattle at 5:30 am, 2.5 hours before we left Beijing! After forcing myself to stay up all day, I crashed at 8:30 pm and enjoyed the most solid 12 hour sleep I think I've ever had. Today turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day here, and enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July with my family at the parade and carnival. For dinner we had red-white-and-blue pancakes, something I've been craving for a couple weeks now. Hopefully I can stay awake a couple more hours to enjoy the fireworks tonight (not like I haven't been hearing them every day in China, but they are nothing like the beautiful night sky here).

Crazy drivers!

You think he looks sick now; you should've seen him after the ride!

Great day for ice cream.

Morning star in Beijing

2011-07-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Made it to Beijing safely. Four of us were met by Lynsay and went to Morning Star Foster home to play with babies while the rest of the team shopped til they dropped.

Britta working with Corrie, Bill and Lynsay's first baby

This not so little guy is adorable and didn't let two casts slow him down

love the cheeks

more cuteness

Daniel checking out Emily

worked hard to see his adorable dimple

Luke just "hanging around." Last year at this time he had just returned from surgery in Israel

Hope always had such a serious look on her face

Joy, the girl we help sponsor, after her nap

Joy, her nanny, and I. This is the closest she would let me get to her!

We leave at 3:30 am!

Yep, it's going to be a long, long day. Starbuck's, please save me!

Friday already???

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's hard to believe this was our seventh and final day at the orphanage. Today the kids and the team all seemed a bit tired, but not too tired to party! The morning began with getting all the kids into new clothing and shoes, which is no easy task, but they all looked great, and everyone had something that fit:)

Wu Jia Wei being tutored by Juan

They giggled when I handed them photos of us from last year. Now
I will have to take this one for next trip:)

"sweet" Jing modeling some new clothing

Jared and I had a fun conversation with Feng Hua. She was
laughing and correcting him at his attempts to speak Chinese.Her
memory for spelling english is awesome. We taught her the meaning of
"awesome" and she could spell it hours later.

After our typical walks and playing in the morning, we made dumplings alongside the nannies and some children to help prepare our lunch. It was a lot of fun, and tasted wonderfully too.

dumpling "rookies"

Jared was so proud of his dumpling baby

Some of the kids helping

The nannies were impressed by Anna's skills

Following lunch the school kids came by for the party. They have all grown so much, but definitely remembered us this time. We did a few crafts and played around before the party began. Chen Yer decorated a visor with stickers and some Chinese writing, then sweetly brought it over for me to wear. Our guide Steve told me it meant "happy" or "peaceful life." There were three beautiful cakes for the party, as well as mangoes, bananas, and apples. You wouldn't believe how much the kids can put down! The director had one girl recite a poem, another sang a song, and three nannies danced for us.

Chen Yer made this visor for me

So much fun to share!

"Happy Birthday sweet children..."

Me and my lunch buddy. The food was awesome!

I have always loved this precious boy. Always so serious but
gentle and concerned for the little ones

I can't remember this girls name, but she made a visor for Pam

Some of the sweet older boys decorating their visors

Then came the difficult time of saying goodbye, which is always so tough to do. A couple of the older children understand what is going on, which is rough. But leaving them with memories and hope is a wonderful gift for us both. There are some wonderful things planned for when we are gone, and I hope to be able to post updates on those things at a later date.

Hoping he has a family by this time next year

Saying goodbye never is easy

Until next year...

Tomorrow we fly back to Beijing, but leave Angela here. She and Sa return to the orphanage in the morning to begin training the nursing students, so there is no rest for them! Speaking of rest, my eyes are slamming shut as I am typing this, and I have a flight to catch in the morning, so I am signing off. Hopefully you can see photos soon.

It's Official!

2011-06-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

Mark talking before the local gov't representatives and TV
cameras, with Sa translating

Sa telling Mark which dotted line to sign on

Today we had to be on time to the orphanage, because we were having an "official" signing of the contract drawn up between our Visiting Orphans team, the orphanage, and the Chaoyang city officials (see yesterday's post). The room quickly filled up with government officials, orphanage employees, TV cameras and reporters, nursing students, and us holding children. The room was adorned by banners hanging (I have no idea what they said) and a large Chinese flag. Nothing was interpreted for us, so I'm not sure exactly what was said, but Mark and a representative did the official signing to cameras flashing, and then he made a quick speech, which Sa interpreted. After the quick ceremony, we did not get to interact much with the kids, because the nursing students were walking around, getting acquainted with the children, and getting a quick lesson/demonstration from Britta. It was actually quite exciting to see the nursing students interact so positively with the children, and gives me much hope for it to continue, despite us not being here.

Britta working her magic

The afternoon crowd was sparse, as some went shopping for supplies and other necessary stops. The butterfly wings and accessories I bought for 10 yuan (about $1.50) were a big hit with the kids. Fortunately they only caused one major tantrum! The nannies served us watermelon again, which I thought they would never do again after yesterday's huge mess, but I guess that may be commonplace for them.

Best 10 yuan I've ever spent!

This costume crossed age groups and genders!

I gave the head nanny the quilts that the ladies from the Methodist Church in Coupeville made for the children.

MeiMei smiling on the new quilt the Methodist church ladies made for him

Tonight we prepared all of the nanny gift bags that we will bring for our last day tomorrow. I am looking forward to the school children coming to visit, as well as preparing the dumplings with the nannies. It will be a packed full emotional day, so please remember us as you go about your day.

Skin to skin time with "The Thinker," who really prefers her
crib to being out, but she handled it gracefully

Incredible Day....

2011-06-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

Each day's experiences seem to be outdoing the previous days experience. I need to come up with more and more adjectives to describe each day!

Group photo at the entrance of Choayang Park

This morning we took the children to the "park." Mind you, this is an amusement park we have been to before, and not one a person easily forgets. The rides are completely outdated, in fact, probably not even legal in the states. Regardless, the children have a blast (well, except those who don't enjoy spinning), and we feel like the Pied Piper with the crowd that follows us around. The media joined us today also, so I'm guessing we should be in a newspaper soon.

Several of the kids were wearing Easter bonnet type hats to
protect them from the sun, no matter the sex. DengDeng didn't seem to
mind!

I banged my knee trying to squeeze into this ride!

Sa is wonderful with the kids. This little guy held on to that
potato chip for at least 1/2 an hour.

Tracie, Wu Jei Wei and Jing shooting targets as they gently
moved around the targets.

more water play

We followed up our adventure with a trip to KFC, something I don't even normally do in the states, but if it makes the kids happy, then I'll even eat there!

next stop, KFC

Lovin' those fries!

She wasn't so crazy about the spicy chicken nuggets

first one asleep on the bus ride back

Then another...

and yet another

A few members of the team spent the morning at the orphanage working with the physical therapy equipment and preparing to train the nannies. Following lunch, we joined them and spent the afternoon checking in on the kids who were unable to go with us in the morning and enjoying more play time. In the afternoon, Mark and a couple others had a meeting with some local government officials, trying to get the go ahead on organizing local volunteers for the orphanage. So far they seem receptive to the concept, and tomorrow the plan is to have some local nursing students come to get some training in working with the kids. This is a long-term plan that could have major impact, so be remembering us as you go about your day.

This evening we returned to church for what we thought would be an evening Bible study, but this was not so. We were greeted by the pastor and a few other members with some snacks and drinks, but then we were quickly whisked away to what they told us was to meet some elderly people. I assumed they meant an older Bible study downstairs, but they took us outside, around the back, and up a flight of stairs to what was a live-in nursing home. Their church cares for 56 elderly people on mostly a volunteer basis and donations. Incredible for such a poor community! The best part is that they brought many of the residents into a tiny room to meet us. They were so thrilled to meet us and wanting to be in photos with us. I think we were probably the first western foreigners that most of them had seen. Unfortunately most of us had left our cameras in the original room we began in, because we had no idea we were going to be meeting these people. This one lady sat by me for a long time just holding my hand and grinning ear to ear. I had an english speaker near by tell her that she reminded me of the love of my grandma! It really was a heart warming experience. Hopefully I can get photos later from a couple of the team members who had their iPhones on them.

Friends forever!

We've been buddies since 2007, but never has she been this snuggly to me

On our way back to the front of the building we stopped and danced with some of the older church members who were doing some type of choreographed dances. When the group reassembled in the original room, Mark told the director of our desire to involve more of the church with the orphans, and after the interpreter finished speaking the pastor responded with "Okay, yea." to which we all laughed and clapped. We spent another half hour speaking with others in the room. I conversed with Mary, a gal who runs an english school. Among many topics we spoke on, she was shocked by my response that "No, you don't have to be a Christian to be President of the United States."

You should've seen the floor after all the kids and us enjoyed
the watermelon!

She squealed with delight when I placed these on her. I'm going
to try and buy her some of her own later today.

My new friend Mary. She asked some deep questions that were
difficult to answer without a translator.

Well once again I am exhausted. If there are no photos yet, check back later when Mike has an opportunity to post them. Thanks for thinking about us....two more days with the kids!

What Day Is It???

2011-06-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

YaYa is amazing, and we are told he is being made adoption ready!

Each day is beginning to blur into another, but it was another successful busy day. Typically we go to the orphanage in the morning, leave for a couple of hours at lunchtime so the children can eat and rest, then we go back to the orphanage for a few more hours. This is followed by a quick cleanup before dinner, then off to church, shopping, or hanging out in the square until time to go to bed and start over again. Overall exhausting, but so totally rewarding.

Courtney and Jing aka Diva

Today was such schedule, and we got right to work as we got there. Bubble blowing was the first thing on today's agenda, which is always a hit. The kids love it, as well as the adults, and it makes for some great photos. The only challenge was the breeze that was going on, so you had to choose your bubble blowing position carefully:)

Always the Happy child, but this time an extremely proud one!

While this group was outdoors, Britta and the others that have been helping her prepare the physical therapy equipment were busy demonstrating some of the lifts, etc., for the nannies. That is the main goal, that these things continue when we are gone. They are also making simple posters using photos to help them remember. For the most part I have not been working with this group, but swing by frequently to check on their progress. Having seen these kids from the beginning in 2007 to now, you cannot fathom the joy it brings me to see these children out of their cribs. These are kids that have basically been written off in the past, but yet would light up in the room when I would come in and sing to them (no, not because of my angelic voice, but because someone was showing them love and attention!). As I stand back and watch different team members work with them, it literally brings tears to my eyes.

Keeping Grace warm, inside and out

More smiles

This girl barely responded when we first met her in 2007. Now she
is up walking with a walker and laughing hysterically when Courtney
tosses her in the ball pit

I've been giving this little guy a lot of arm time. He can't even
hold his head up, but you should see him smile and coo when we have
him up and out of the crib.

We ended the morning with some good old fashioned face painting. At first a couple of the kids were frightened, but once they got the hang of it, they kept pointing to new places on their face to get painted (kind of like being addicted to tatoos!). Even the toddlers and some of the kids who are typically unable to sit still joined in.

He wasn't so sure to begin with, but once I showed him his
picture he embraced his lionhood

The calmest she was all day!

Was barely a blank space left on his face when Rebecca was finished

After lunch we did some shopping for the kiddos. I found some wonderful butterfly wings (making me miss my own girls) that I am going to take this morning. Creative play is always lacking here. Sa, the gal we met at the airport, has been working with us every day and is an amazing contact. Her mom is a doctor and she has connections at a local university. She is trying to establish a way to get volunteers from the college working year round in the orphanage. A lofty goal, but a worthy one, so please be remembering this.

Courtney and Angela dancing with the locals

After more playtime in the afternoon and a delicious dinner, we headed back to the public square this evening. We joined in by playing a form of hackey sack (only more like a badminton) with some locals. Courtney and Angela did some swing dancing. A local man must have liked Angela's skills, because he then asked her to dance. He was incredibly good, and she was a quick learner. The song seemed to go on forever, as a crowd of 100 or so gathered around. I think Angela's been watching Dancing with the Stars!

This morning we are heading to a park with some of the children. Should be fun!

Sorry so late....

2011-06-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took so long to hear from us, but we have been unable to connect to the internet. Yesterday morning we changed back to the original hotel we were supposed to be in, and when we had extended time to be able to get on the computer, I could not get things to work until getting a hotel employee into my room to figure things out. So I will try and catch everyone up on yesterday's happenings before I post about today. I'm not sure yet as to whether or not I can post photos from here, so if there are not any while you are reading this, check back in a couple hours when Mike can post them for me from the states.

Waiting at the windows (those are the cribs we bought them a few years ago)

my long time buddy Min Yer

In the morning we were greeted by the smiling faces of the toddlers who await us in their cribs, cheering through the window that faces the area our bus pulls into. It warms the heart to see them so excited about our arrival. The day was spent playing with the kids again, as well as more physical therapy work. It was amazing to see children who rarely get out of their crib be able to stretch their legs and walk! So brave and trustworthy they were to work with people they hardly knew, especially for one of them who is blind. "Peanut," or Grace as we have now named her, is showing some slight improvement. A wonderful day overall.

Mark helping the happiest boy in the world to use a walker

Pam giving more snuggle time to Peanut

"Precious Heart," who is blind, using the walker

Tracie and her girl

We wrapped up the evening with a HotPot experience, something well known in this region. Was yet another delicious dinner. On the way back to the hotel we met up we the man we had met on the street who had found Bao, as we had some photos of her to give him. He had a huge grin on his face when Mark showed him the photo album of her. After that we came back to the hotel.I think my eyes slammed shut as soon as I hit the oh-so-hard Chinese bed (good for the back, you know).

Rebecca is a professional now

Jared putting who knows what in the HotPot

Forward Motion...

2011-06-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

Angela and Sa

So much happened today that I want to share. It was an exciting time at the orphanage, and I can only hope that everyone reading this can share my enthusiasm through my words and photos (although in reading back on my earlier post, I see lots of errors due to my lack of sleep!).

As we loaded the bus for the orphanage, we were greeted by Sa, a local girl we had met at the airport the day before. When we told her what we were there for, she told us she would like to join us, to which we eagerly encouraged her to do. We love to involve the locals, and have had some join us every trip. Her english was great, and it was nice to see her join right in, interacting with the kids.

giving Min Yer a manicure/pedicure. Her favorite color is
purple, like mine!

Yung Yung playing with Lambchop (most of the kids were scared of it!)

Britta setting up the adaptive work center

The children were anxiously awaiting our arrival. After receiving the go ahead by the nannies, Britta, our physical therapist, got busy inventorying the physical therapy supplies that the orphanage already had but had no idea how to use. Some team members cleaned the dusty items and/or pieced some together, while Britta measured and assessed children for various pieces of equipment. By the end of the day she had a child in a wheelchair we had never seen out of bed before, a blind, crib-bound girl up and using a walker, and an adult sized girl standing, coloring while velcro straps held her upright at a work center. Needless to say, this was extremely exciting for us all to see, and we are only on day two!

As I was hanging out on the second floor right before lunch, I saw what I thought to be a familiar face walk by me. I couldn't pull up a name, as it was from a few years back, so I asked her what her name was. She replied with Feng Hua. I probably frightened the poor girl when I excitedly responded with "I know you, Flower!" Feng Hua was one of the older children we worked with at the orphanage the first two years we were here. When we inquired about her last year they told us she was attending a school for blind children. Since she graduated, she is back for the summer, and will be attending massage school in another province in the fall. She said she remembered us from before. It is so rewarding to see her doing well.

Feng Hua "Flower"

Who knew Wu Jia Wei played the piano

The afternoon consisted of lots of playtime, including walks in the drizzle, and some positive responses from a couple children who usually don't show much emotion. It's amazing what a little love can do to make an orphan, or anyone else for that matter, feel better.

John and Cha Cha taking a walk

Putting smiles on both our faces!

Both smiled like this all afternoon!

Love this photo of Courtney and the blind girl. She was
caressing Courtney so sweetly.

YES!

2011-06-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

Oak Harbor gals

I am so excited to be able to blog this morning! It is now Sunday in China; we arrived early on Friday morning due to lots of stormy weather, but this is the first time I have been able to get connected. In Beijing things were blocked, and up here everything was in a foreign language (no, not even mandarin), so I was unable to peruse my way around the page. So the "YES!" title is a quote from me when everything worked this morning.

After visiting the wall and toboganing down in Beijing, and meeting up with Bill and Lynsay from Morning Star foster home, we are happy to be in Chaoyang.

Dinner with Lynsay

Great Wall

As usual, the best laid plans always change while here, and that was evident from the get go. Seems we were "bumped" from our usual foreign-friendly hotel, due to a Comm. Party convention, so we are down the street a ways in a different hotel. That has been some of the difficulty connecting to the Internet too, but hey, a new adventure is always good.

After checking in and grabbing a quick lunch, we headed off for the orphanage. We were greeted by many familiar faces that were delighted to see us (and vice versa). It was wonderful to see many walls brightly painted and a brand new play area that the was bought for them by the government. We were saddened to learn that one little one from last year that we nicknamed Mighty Mouse passed away about three months ago. Last year there were two limb difference kiddos that stole my heart, and when I inquired about the one that is not here this year, I learned he is in foster care somewhere, so that was exciting news. There is a three day old baby that is the tiniest little peanut. He is not doing so well, but we are able to pick him up and show him plenty of love. We are currently thinking of a good name for him, as he does not yet have one. Yung Yung seems to be adjusting to live in the orphanage, and we are told that he will begin school in September. We have a physical therapist with us this year, so she was able to go around and assess a lot of needs yesterday. Today we are hoping for receptive ears as we she tries to implement some new ideas.

Anna reunited with Jian

John

"Wei" that's how Chinese answer the phone

Traci and "Peanut"

Kendra shows off her iphone

Traci and Wu Jia Wei

Min Yer (red) remembered us

A journalist that was wrote about us last year was with us all day. We also met the tutor that we hired to teach one of the girls. One of our team members is going to room with her for the next four months as she continues to work here for some college credit. It's a very exciting opportunity.

Coutney and friend

We closed last night with an adventure to the city square and mingled with the locals. We attracted crowds as we handed out glow sticks and bracelets to the kids we came across. Some of the group "swing danced" with the group of dancers, while a couple girls jumped over a light up toy that twirled around their ankle (I know there's a name for the toy, but my brain won't come up with it).

On our way back we to the hotel we stopped to speak with a gentleman who was playing a authentic chinese instrument. When he asked our guide about us, he informed us that a few years ago he found an abandoned child and took her to local authorities. Amazingly he had found Chao Bao, whom was at the orphanage the first year we were here, and she is now in the states! We got to share information with him, and I thanked him for saving a child's life! He had such a proud look on his face.

Chao Bao's rescuer

*Well I just tried to upload photos, but no such luck. I will email some to Mike and hopefully he can post them. I welcome any comments you want to leave, or can pass on messages to team members if you want. We are getting ready to head out to the orphanage again this morning.

The End (at least for this post)

Dad's Day...

2011-06-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Check out Mike and the kids around the new BBQ Mike got for Father's Day. It was taken during the small sliver of the day when it was not raining! I don't think it even hit 60 today....brrr! Going to be a shock when I'm in 90+ weather in Beijing, later this week.

The grill was broken in by BBQing some delicious salmon cooked on a cedar plank! One of those gifts that everyone gains from:)

The girls made some gifts at school that they also gave to daddy. Jaelyn made a ceramic dinosaur with an adorable pop-up card. Kaia drew this ~~remarkable likeness~~ picture of her dad as a gift. Fortunately she laughed with us all when he made the face, because it really did look like him then!

Our Family is Growing.....

2011-06-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

FYI...I originally wrote this blog clear back in January, but I didn't know whether or not I had permission to post photos of Joy. Then I forgot about the original post and only remembered it as I am preparing to return to China. Bill of Morning Star gave me the go ahead on posting photos, so I decided to publish the post, with a forward written to set the stage. This Wednesday the Chaoyang Team is returning to China, and I am hoping to be able to meet Joy face-to-face when we are in Beijing! Please be praying for Morning Star. They have recently taken in some very sick kids, one who passed away, and another currently in the hospital. In China hospital costs are paid up front, so if God puts them on your heart, please consider giving. Read below to learn more, and be sure to scroll to the bottom to see a recent photo of Joy....

Now that I have your attention I need to tell you that, no, we're not adopting again, but we have taken this sweet little thing into our hearts!

We refinanced our home the end of December, and since that freed up some monthly money, what better thing to put our money towards than to help support changing the life of a child forever! We could buy our families more unneeded toys, but in the end, what does that really matter?

Let me tell you more about where Joy comes from, and perhaps you may feel moved to help a child there too:) Joy resides at Morning Star Foundation in Beijing, China, where Bill and Lynsay Lewis run their foster home. All the children in their home have severe medical needs, and come from orphanages that can not meet these needs. That's where Bill and Lynsay step in! They nurture the children, advocate for the best health care they can get, and pray for each one of these children. They employ local nannies and understand the culture. Monthly expenses for each child is approximately $450, and children can be sponsored at any amount. Whether it's $10 a month or the entire $450, you can help to make a difference. Just go to their babies page, select a child, and you can set up automatic payments through paypal. They will also send updates and prayer requests on your child, so you can be involved in their life.

For years we have sponsored Lizeth through Compassion International. We chose her back in the early 2000's, while attending a Creation Festival where they were promoting sponsorship. We chose Lizeth because she was born the exact day and year that Joshua was. Before we chose which child to sponsor at Morning Star, I prayed that one of the children would stand out to me. As soon as I opened the page of the children there, I knew that child was to be Joy. The first thing my eyes took me to was her birthday, January 1, the same as our sweet Jaelyn!

Girls got spunk!


Recent photo that was sent with our updated letter on Joy

P.R.I.D.E....

2011-06-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Last week Jaelyn was one of eight first graders to receive an award in front of the school. Unfortunately being it was my award assembly at school, I could not attend, but thankfully, big brother Kellen was to the rescue, and proudly represented our family! At their school they focus on Preparation, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Effort all year long. Jaelyn's award was specifically for Determination, and I couldn't agree more!

Kellen even videotaped it for us, but unfortunately it's 10 minutes long, so I don't think I'll bore you! But here she is after the proud moment...

This Can't Be Good...

2011-05-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

Words can't describe, so I'll just let the photo speak for itself. Notice that they cannot even sit up straight. I will also add that it takes two to do this type of damage!

Amazingly, as bent up and twisted that these glasses were, they were able to repair them rather quickly today. Thankfully, as she just got them in January, and these are already the second pair!

Perfect Day...

2011-05-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

What could be more perfect than dinner at Cheesecake Factory,

followed by the Broadway Musical Mary Poppins?

Nothing, if you are seven years old, or even if you are 40-something! We were all kids watching this show. Very entertaining....

Random Thoughts...

2011-05-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

Nothing exciting has been going on here that deserves its own blog entry, so I thought I would combine several short items that may be just slightly interesting.

The girls had a "tutu" practice last week and had a blast. Their coach is really good at teaching skills, yet keeping it fun. Maybe I should try this with my volleyball team this fall...

Next random thought....
After sending the IRS a hefty sum of money this year, we were surprised to find this in our mailbox....

Yep, that really is a check for $1.56! And we have no idea why we received it. Perhaps it's in lieu of the 1.9% pay cut our legislature just gave us (don't even get me started on that one). More likely we overpaid and they wanted to give us a prompt refund? We probably will never know why, but regardless, I cashed it quickly, splurged, and bought myself half a latte:)

Oh yeah, my insulin pump broke. It didn't completely stop working, but an important piece broke off, so they sent me a new one. So the upside is that I went from this ~~beat u~~p gently used one:

to this:

without paying a cent!

See how exciting things have been around here? Actually with the rapid pace of the end of the school year, it's nice to have things slow paced at home. Mike is now done with coaching track for the season. However, things will speed up a bit next week when he and Josh both have football camp. Before you know it, school will be done and I'll by heading off for China. More on that later.

Update....

2011-05-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

I thought I would update on this blog entry from earlier this year. Yesterday in our paper there was an article titled "Shawna Finally Gets Her New Wheels," but unfortunately I can't find it online. If you didn't read my earlier blog entry on Shawna, make sure you go back and read it. To sum it up, Shawna, a Navy wife who is wheelchair bound due to no lower extremities, had no way to get around town when her husband is deployed. The good news is that many people came forward and donated towards her cause of getting a wheelchair accessible van, and she now has a lot more freedom. I love good news stories!

Wow, five years....

2011-05-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

So Sunday was our five year celebration of being blessed by having Jaelyn join our family! She proudly told many people at church that "Today is my Gotcha Day!" As always, she asked me to tell her stories from our first meeting, but she usually words it as "Tell me about when I was a baby (even though she was 2.5, that's the baby years to her). She chose her favorite Chinese buffet for dinner, and the whole family made it for the celebration. She did inquire about gifts, but I lovingly reminded her that gifts are not our usual part of "Forever Family" day celebrations. She graciously accepted that, and continued to soak up the attention. Just look at the proud grin on her face:)

Mother's Day Traditions....

2011-05-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

I grew up with many family traditions, and absolutely love to pass them down to my own children, as well as create new ones. Over the past 19 Mother's Days, I can say there are traditions that I can always count on my family contributing to.

First the day begins with breakfast in bed. I had two of the cutest little waitresses you ever have seen taking my order! This year it was blueberry waffles, washed down by some delicious coffee and cream. After church as a family (one was late, but I won't mention which one), it's out to lunch we go. Yep, more food. This year it was brunch.

Mother's Day gifts are quite often my favorite of the year, because typically some of them are handmade. I was not disappointed this year when I opened the special towels each girl handpainted for me. I loved the cards (three created by Kaia alone) and sweet words they wrote to me. An extra special gift this year was getting my grandma's wedding ring sized to fit my finger, as well as having a missing sapphire replaced. Priceless!

This is where the tradition was a bit off this year. Usually we go for a family hike, but poor Kellen was under the weather, so we all stayed home. However, the weather did cooperate enough for me to get some yardwork out of all of them. The yard was mowed, weeds pulled, and some flowers planted in the window box. Jaelyn and Kaia had much fun "saving" as many snails and sow bugs that they could find, as well as taking as many pictures as they could with my camera. I'll save you the shots of our recycling bin and my rear end, but here is the home they made this little guy....

The only regret I have of the day is that we did not get any photos of me with all the kids. Maybe the boys can teach me to photoshop some:)

Later that night, as I crawled into bed and fluffed up my pillow, I was pleasantly surprised to find an envelope beneath. There lied a simple note from my 16 year old that touched my heart so. Is it too much to wish this is the beginning of another Mother's Day tradition???

2011-05-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

Ever since we first laid eyes on Kaia, she has sucked her fingers. Before her repair it was three (forgive me if I've used this photo on here before)...

And ever since her surgery, only two can fit in her mouth! Although she is not supposed to be sucking her fingers anymore, and we definitely don't allow her to do it in public, the first thing she does after we tuck her in at night is plug those fingers back into her mouth. I thought I had some photos, but I haven't been able to locate any, but trust me, she enjoys her fingers. Jaelyn has long since given up her blankie, but fingers are much more difficult to stop since you can't just fold them up and put them away in the closet!

At Kaia's recent dentist appointment her dentist recommended we try a football mouth guard at night. Well ever since then it has done the trick, which has been about a week now. Other than the night she flat out took the mouth guard out of her mouth, when I come in to tuck her in one more time before I go to bed, she is sleeping with no fingers in her mouth. Tonight she must have thought about taking it out of her mouth, but then thought better of it. When I went in to tuck her in, here is what she looked like, half in, half out...

Let's hope a couple more weeks of this does the trick!

The Real Easter...

2011-04-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Once again we were blessed to have my parents with us to celebrate the "Superbowl of Church," as my pastor refers to Easter. Friday night was highlighted by communion at the Good Friday Service. Despite the return of the rain, it was wonderful to celebrate the "Real Easter" at church, commemorating His resurrection!


Love My Boys!


Goof photos seem to be a family tradition.

Add caption

The rain stopped long enough for a little hunting time, but was misting again during the last round.

Easter Scrooge...

2011-04-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday before Easter, we attended the annual community Easter Egg Hunt. It turned out to be the most beautiful day we've had all year, which meant a large crowd. The hunt takes place on the grounds of one of our local fire stations, and typically begins with the honk of a fire engine horn. Someone didn't get the memo to not honk the horn for everyone's attention. And this poor guy evidently was a rookie, and didn't understand that there is no way you can call back a herd of 5-8 year olds to restart an Easter egg hunt. Thus, the Easter Scrooge....

Notice that eventually Kaia came back, but Jaelyn was focused and never heard the hollering. That is why she managed to come back with two special tickets! The first she gave to a young boy who was crying because he did not get any eggs. We later learned he had autism. She had no idea what it meant to get a ticket, because in the several years we have been attending, we had only won one prize, but she does not remember that. The ticket she kept, but did not know at the time, was for this adorable snuggly bunny. I love Jaelyn's compassion!

Share Bears...

2011-04-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

For weeks we heard these songs sang repeatedly at the dinner table, and watched performances on our fireplace hearth. Finally, the day came when the first graders performed the "Share Bear" concert. The girls were so excited! I won't make you watch the entire concert, but for the grandma's viewing my blog, here's the girls singing their favorite song from the evening, and a couple of pictures of my cute bears:) Jaelyn's in the top row, while Kaia is in the front. Hopefully this song doesn't get stuck in your brain like it does mine!

Finally, she's 7...

2011-04-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

Kaia has been dying to be seven since Jaelyn hit that number in January! First it was "How many months before...," then it was "How many weeks...," followed by "How many days until..." That last week seemed to pass in slow motion but she finally made it to her special day.

Thanks Uncle Pat & Aunt Tonyia. She's been ~~whining~~ asking for one since Jaelyn got one for her bday.

What's she thanking big brother for?

Oh no, they've got the Bieber fever! Just look at those smiles...

Kaia chose a roller skating party, which can be hit or miss with that age. Thankfully it was a hit, and a good time was had by all. It was fun to see how much the kids improved in just the two hours of skating, and invigorating to find that I still had it (okay, I fell once, but Kaia tripped me!).

And of course, some outtakes. They speak for themselves...

Soccer Surprise....

2011-04-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday officially began the girls soccer season, and Josh's school season has been going for about a month now. The girls are purple again, but this time they are the Purple Panthers! Actually it is more like they are purple and brown, because with all of the rain we've had, they come home awfully muddy! The team actually looked great on Saturday, as they were passing well and spreading out the goals scored amongst team mates. Kaia scored the first of the season, and ended up with two (I think), and Jaelyn scored one too. The only problem I had was with the official, as I think he may have been a little biased....


Three of my kiddos in the same shot!

Yep, that's Josh refereeing the girls game. Looks great in yellow, huh? It is funny that his first ever game officiating, and he is assigned his sisters' game! He did a great job though, and went on to ref two more games that day. I think it will be a great way for him to earn some of his camp money for this very busy upcoming summer (football, wrestling, and church camp), and I think he will enjoy it more than his previous raspberry picking job!

Spring Break Shuffle...

2011-04-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Kellen moved out, which started the spring break shuffle. For some unknown reason Josh decided he wanted to move into Kellen's old room (which is really an office with no closet). Once Mike finally ~~harassed~~ convinced Kellen to pack everything up, Josh took over the room. Good thing it was his spring break, because he spent a lot of time reminiscing as he went through items that haven't been touched since second grade! The girls also completed a spring cleaning, and Mike put together the much needed dresser I purchased at Ikea (if you've ever purchased anything there, you know what an endeavor that is). Since they have three closet doors he decided to remove one and place the dresser in there, allowing more space in their room.

As Mike and the kids' spring break wound down, mine was just getting started. I painted walls in the girls' room, hallway, and tackled Josh's old room. Finally, I'm going to have a guest room again! Haven't had one of those for probably 16 years. We bought a new mattress and bed spring, and new bedding has been ordered. Reservations for this summer are now being accepted:)

Here are a couple much anticipated photos from Kellen's new place. Notice I didn't dare shoot any of his bedroom! Some things never change...

Kellen's new place. Notice my card table being used for their kitchen table:)

Kitchen view....apples in bowl and plant starter are a nice touch, but definitely not Kellen's doing.

Always the competitor

2011-04-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

The following video is of Mike and a fellow coach. They previously coached wrestling together, and currently are both track coaches. They were challenged as to who was quicker, so of course, they had to compete to find the answer. The winner would get a mocha, and their pride intact. Mike spotted his friend Brian 10 meters, one for every year he was older. The entire track practice was stopped to watch the "Old Man Slam," and you can see for yourself how it went (check out Mike's speedsuit....).

I came, I saw, I conquered....

2011-03-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Recognize this quote? It was attributed to Julius Caesar, but this week it is an ode to our sweet dog Caesar, who suddenly passed away last Friday.

He was born in May of 1999 and came into our lives shortly afterward. I still remember a trembling puppy hiding underneath our deck. We had to send a five year old Joshua in to retrieve him! The two of them soon became inseparable!

Aren't they both so cute?!

In early 2004 he was joined by Romeo, who became his younger, more annoying brother, whom Caesar was forever tolerant of. Together they saw many sites camping and hiking, including the hike at Ft. Ebey, pictured below with Josh.

There were so cute together!

Speaking of tolerant, Caesar was soooo tolerant of the kids. Here are a couple of things they put him through over the years....

When Jaelyn joined our family in 2006, she was deathly frightened of the dogs, and would scream and cry anytime they got near. It was Caesar whom she first learned to feed, and he patiently allowed her to crawl over him and pull his fur without ever so much of a growl. And Kaia, well she just adored him from the beginning, as you can tell by the photo below. Just as long as he was getting attention, he was a happy camper!

He conquered our hearts, and there were many tears with his passing. We will miss you Caesar*; thanks for bringing us nearly 12 years of smiles!

*footnote: although we will all miss him, the girls were paging through their "Dog bible" the following day, picking out the next breed of dog they will be getting. Border Collie, really? I think not!

Princess Pirate....

2011-03-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

This week was Kaia's post-glasses checkup, to measure how much her right eyesight has improved since wearing glasses. Unfortunately with the glasses she is only seeing 20/70, not the 20/40 we were aiming for. That means eye patch therapy began this week....

Like the glasses, Kaia was excited when she picked out the purple unicorn and the white kitty eye patches she is to wear. However, this excitement quickly dissipated as she realized exactly what this meant, being only able to use her poor eye to see. We had to pick up Jaelyn from a friend's house on the way home from the vision clinic, and at first she refused to even come out of the van due to embarrassment. I left the van sliding door open, and after about five minutes of me chatting at the house door, she slowly slithered out of the car to play with Jaelyn and her friend. This early experience had me worried, but I must say that Kaia has been much more positive about wearing them since then, more than I ever anticipated.

She has to wear one 4-5 hours a day, so on the drive home from school, she selects which one she wants to wear for the afternoon/evening. On Saturday and Sundays we can work around our schedule so that she can wear them while we're at home. I think the biggest challenge ahead will be when soccer season begins next month. Saturday games shouldn't be an issue because we can work around the games, but evening practices may be. We will tackle that hurdle when it gets here. For now I am thankful she is keeping so positive, and I think she is the cutest Princess Pirate around!

Moving on up.....

2011-03-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

Yep, our firstborn is "Moving on up....," to a top floor apartment that is, one that he can call his own! Well actually it's not his own, as he has a room mate, but you know what I mean....

I must admit I have mixed emotions. I know he has wanted to do this for some time, and we are ready for him to "spread his wings," but as a mom, I can only wonder if I have prepared him enough for this. I realize we all have to start somewhere and learn from the bumps along the way. Just hoping that the bumps aren't too rough, and that the road ahead leads somewhere. A positive is that it will probably improve my prayer life!

My first reaction to his apartment is that it is better than my first place, but it is quite sparse. If anyone needs birthday ideas, he needs lots (I realize his bday is not until August)! I will try and get pictures posted sometime.

And yeah, he's had dinner here twice since he officially moved out on Friday;-)

I'm Melting, I'm Melting....

2011-03-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

Do you recognize this now???

All in His Timing....

2011-02-26T14:18:00.000-08:00

I honestly did not think this day would ever come, but I'm happy to say I was wrong! Since we first met Min Hao Li back in 2007, we have wondered why he did not have a family, and have prayed for this to come to fruition. He was an energetic 5-year old who seemed to have the rule of the place;-) He particularly bonded with a grandfather on our team who affectionately gave him the nickname "Booger," due to his mischievous behavior. Here they are pictured together.

When we returned in 2008, we were disappointed to see that Booger was still there, but excited to learn that he was being adopted by a family in Sweden. That enthusiasm was short lived when we received Chinese New Year photos from the orphanage that following winter, proving Booger was still there. Why was he still there? With being unable to return in 2009, we were anxious to see if he was still there in 2010. We found he was now attending the local boarding school, but he and the other children we had worked with previously, were allowed to come visit with us twice during our stay. We asked what happened to the family in Sweden, and were told that his paperwork had been lost. Again, we advocated for his adoption, and was ensured that they would make it happen. If you understand China politics, or the "Lost in tranlation" concept, then you understand why we did not hold our breath.

It was fun to see how much he has grown up since we last saw him two years ago. Quite the handsome boy now....

However, our God is a mighty God who can doesn't care about roadblocks. I am thrilled to say that Booger's family is now in China, and will soon be bringing him home to the United States! Despite the long journey, it only encourages me more to keep praying for these kids, and continuing our summertime trips to Chaoyang. I like to think that our visits help prepare them for their family some day. Won't you join me in continuing to pray for these precious children?

Please, No More Snow...

2011-02-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not we have had record February snowfall here, but I think we're all in agreement that enough is enough! Mike and the kids are now up to four extra days tacked on to the end of the school year, and from today's boredom, I am thinking they would've rather been in school today than in summer.

The enthusiasm was high to begin with, evident by Josh making a snow angel, in his boxers, at 6 am. The snow came down so quickly in the early hours that we got 3-4 inches in just an hour. The kids and dogs were frolicking around the front yard, while Mike shoveled the driveway (which he would have to do again in just a couple hours). Josh's enthusiasm was outdone by our neighbor girls, who decided to build their snowman while wearing their swimsuits. I was chilled to the bone just watching them! We then did some sledding on our local hill (which was not nearly as conducive to sledding as it was back in Nov.), and snowman making in the front yard (but not as good as these creations from the past). After recovering in the afternoon by watching movies, snow was gathered outside to make Snow Ice Cream, which was quickly devoured; that's when boredom set in.

It did make for some beautiful scenic pictures though....

Japanese Maple tree in our front yard

Pine trees in our backyard, heavy laden with snow

Today, the second day home, the kids have been bored, not even feigning their enthusiasm by playing outside! Due to unusually cold temperatures, the snow is supposed to "stick" around for a couple more days, but thankfully school should be back on for tomorrow. With President's Day being this past Monday, why am I feeling so tired if it is just a two-day work week?

One More Brag...

2011-02-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

Yep, one more time for me to brag, then I promise to stop for a ~~week~~ a little while. Just had to say that this past weekend Mike was honored as Regional Coach of the Year (last week was District honors) at the regional wrestling tournament. So that means that he will be entered for Statewide Coach of the Year at this upcoming weekend's state tournament. Unfortunately for Josh he didn't do as well as he had hoped last weekend, so he is not moving on, but five other wrestlers are. Josh will be going down with them though, and I know he totally has his mind set on being a participant there next year. When he does, I'll link back to this post, as being a part of what propelled him to accomplish his goal.

Moments before coaching Josh (before his heart rate and blood pressure soar!) Trust me, he does not look quite this calm during the action....

Proud Day....

2011-02-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

Today I am doubly proud. First, Josh placed second in the NW District wrestling tournament, and will be moving on to regionals next weekend at Glacier Peak HS. Second, before the championship round they announced that Mike was selected as the NW District Coach of the Year! Yeah for the Crebbin Boys! I am truly proud today, but actually I am proud and blessed each and every day to have such a wonderful husband, and four loving kids:)


My boys after Josh's championship match. Josh looks a bit tired, but look at that proud dad!

Year of the rabbitt....

2011-02-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo from our local adoptive families' CNY celebration Thursday night. The newest addition has only been home one month, with the oldest now being a college freshman. What a beautiful group of kids we are all blessed to parent!

Thank you Leona Helmsley!

2011-02-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

You are probably wondering what this post could possibly be about with a title like that, right? I'll start by reminding you of who Leona Helmsley is. Who could forget this picture....

This was her mug shot when she spent almost two years in jail for tax evasion. Seems the billionaire was quoted as saying "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes..." Guess that makes me a little person! But some of you may recognize her more from this photo with her dog, whom she willed $12 million in a trust fund when she died in 2007!

I know, you're still wondering where I'm going with this history lesson....well it seems that after litigation, the money did not go to her dog afterall, but to create the The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. It turns out that one of her grandchildren has Type I diabetes, and that the trust has recently poured a lot of money in to TI research. That's where I come in....

Yesterday when I was at UW for my quarterly visit with my endocrinologist, he asked me if I wanted to become a part of the data repository for a grant that the foundation awarded. The grant is for the development of a type 1 diabetes exchange that includes a data repository, a biobank and an interactive website with mobile capability. The Exchange is designed to drive a better understanding of the disease, improve care and accelerate new therapies for type 1 diabetes through the promotion of collaborative research and data sharing. So yesterday I answered some basic questions (my first time using an Ipad!), and gave them permission to follow my data from every doctor appointment. And because my information is in their database, I may become part of other studies from it too.

For some reason I just get a kick out of the fact that all this is funded by money that was to go towards Leona Helmsley's Maltese. Thanks Trouble!

2011-01-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

I was so touched by this article in our local paper yesterday that I wanted to share it with others, in hopes you may want to help too. There is a young Navy wife in our community that has had over 30 surgeries, including her legs amputated, and has no means of commuting herself, other than her wheelchair. Well that's not very convenient when your husband gets deployed, living in a wet and hilly community, so they are trying to raise funds to buy a van that can transport her and her wheelchair. Please check out her blog to learn more and help support this beautiful young lady!

Sunday Surprise...

2011-01-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

So Sunday we surprised the ~~kids~~ girls with a trip to Mickey's Magic Show in Everett. Despite seemingly no heat in the Everett Events Center (the Silvertips must have had a game later that night), a good time was had by all. I think I enjoy surprising people more than anyone I know, from gifts to outings. Wonder why that is. But I digress....

As you can see by the smiles, they were thrilled, and our stock went up even higher when we splurged for the cotton candy that was topped by the magician's hat. They don't need to know that at $10, it was the cheapest novelty item for sale! That's only $1 less than each ticket cost. By the looks of some of the families around us, Disney was making a killing off of some of those parents! Our seats weren't too far from the stage, but glad Kaia had her glasses.

2011-01-22T09:22:00.000-08:00

Just one more league meet until districts begin, so thought I would update on Josh's wrestling. This year he is wrestling in the 152 weight class (last year he was 135), which basically means he doesn't have to watch what he eats:) The team is in second place in league, and Josh's only league loss came from the wrestler from the first place team, Everett. He has had a couple 5th place finishes and one 3rd place at a tournament.

I took this photo at this week's home match. Actually, I took a whole bunch, but due to poor lighting and the distance to the center of the mat, they always turn out blurry and yellow! This is the only decent one, taken just shortly before Josh pinned the kid.

Last night they won again, but Josh tweeked his shoulder, so he's not sure whether or not he will wrestle today.

In the midst of typing this entry I took a breakfast break and read the newspaper. When I opened up to the sports section, I was pleasantly surprised to find a picture of Josh, but unfortunately for some reason the photo is not on the online version. The printed version has the title "Wrestlers Swamp Terrace," but the online version is titled "Wrestling: Oak Harbor almost perfect in win over Hawks."
Wish you could see that photo, because it is closer up and I"m sure a lot better photo than mine!

Friday Changes....

2011-01-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

The girls experienced a couple of major changes Friday that they wanted me to share.

First of all, we are thankful for the school vision and hearing screenings, as without them we would've had no idea that Kaia was not using her right eye to see at all, instead, totally relying on her left eye (but we already knew that her left ear was going to fail the hearing test). Now we know she has Amblyopia, so she is now sporting glasses. She is pretty proud of the puppy pawprint frames she picked out:) We should know in a couple months whether or not glasses alone will be able to train her right eye. If not, eye patching is in order. Glasses are cool in her eyes, but I'm not convinced she would feel the same about covering up her good eye with a patch! For now we just pray this does the trick...

Jaelyn has been commenting now that she wants glasses, but since that's not going to happen any time soon, she competed for attention by pulling her tooth out not half an hour after we got home from the vision center! Always the competitors:)

One more celebration, or is it two?

2011-01-15T09:17:00.000-08:00

Back to Portland for the last of our celebrations, and the halfway point to home. First of all, modeling show to entertain Grandma!

Weiner Dog pajamas, YES!

It was New Year's Eve, so we stayed up to ring in the New Year (well some of us just barely made it). Josh woke Jaelyn up to wish her a Happy Birthday, to which she sat up, grinned, and laid back down. After opening a couple gifts that morning, we hit the rode home. However, we had a surprise in store for Jaelyn, and met up with Uncle Jeff and Auntie Lorrie at the Rainforest Cafe. I can't remember who told me my girls would love that place, but they were right! To quote Jaelyn, "This is the best birthday ever!"

Yes, silly Jaelyn, once again!

The birthday group...(and boy, do I look tired!)

Always grinning!

The following day we celebrated with more bowling and more Zhu Zhu pets:)

This summer in China I bought another sparkling birthday flower candle so that Jaelyn could have the same excitement that Kaia had on her birthday. It didn't disappoint! Check this out....

We're thankful for wonderful family and memories, but it's good to be home and back in our own beds once again:)