Sponsor-a-Crib

Many of you know that my husband and I are headed back to China this summer for a mission trip to the Chaoyang orphanage in China. The orphanage has requested the donation of 20 cribs. As you can see by the photo, they are dire need of new cribs. Many of the kids did not even have mattresses in their cribs, or if they did, they had no sheets. Mind you the humidity there is quite high, so they would sweat like crazy on the mattresses. We were able to purchase air conditioners last year, so hopefully that has helped. Our mission team is looking for 20 sponsors for the cribs, or 40 1/2 sponsors. The cost of a single crib is $150 (or $75 for 1/2), and is tax deductible. Our plan is to have them delivered while we are there, so that we can set the cribs up, then take photos of the kids in their new cribs. We would bring back a picture for each sponsor so that he/she could see his/her donation in use, as well as have a photo of a child to pray for daily. Would you please consider this worthy cause? Please email me if you have questions, or if this is something you are interested in, and I will tell you what steps to take next. Thank you for your consideration!

Incensed!

Sorry, but I have to vent on this one. As a born again Christian, as well as being a Type I Diabetic, I am outraged at what has happened to this little girl. This did not have to happen! View the news story (warning, commentator Nancy Grace is annoying) on how this family did not get help for their daughter, and slowly let her die from ketoacidosis, caused by Type I diabetes (you'll have to believe me on this one, ketoacidosis is not fun...). I completely believe in the power of prayer, but that doesn't mean ignorance. I can't imagine watching my child suffer like this, and I can't imagine what the daughter was thinking. Did she know it didn't have to be this way? Did she share her parents belief? I pray she is at peace now.

Easter Slide Show

Here are some pictures from this busy weekend. My parents came out for the weekend, to celebrate Easter and Dad's birthday (the first time they've ever been on the same day in his lifetime). They got to watch Kellen run the 3200 and 1600 on Thursday (freezing and windy), and decorated eggs Friday night. We were supposed to watch Joshua wrestle on Saturday, but Josh ended up not being able to keep anything down that day, so we didn't go. Instead, we took the girls to a local egg hunt, where they were petrified of the Easter bunny! Sunday was church, birthday celebration, and more egg hunts. After the girls hunted the eggs, they hid them for their brothers. Check out the cute video and pictures below.

Great Job Doc!

Recently Kaia had her annual checkup at Children's Hospital in Seattle. It's always a long day when we go there, because we have about four appointments each time we go. We stay in the same room while doctors come in and out at different times. Sounds easy, right? Try being in the same tiny room for approximately four hours with a 3 yr. old, right smack in the middle of nap time. Actually, Kaia did quite well. It was me who was going stir crazy!

Dr. Cunningham, Kaia's pediatrician there at the Craniofacial clinic, reminded us of how far she has come. When we first brought her in to her first appointment, she was about 9 months old. She was at the 5% for her height on the American growth chart, and didn't even make it on the chart for her weight. Now she is just over the 50% for her weight, and just under the 50% for her height. Wow!

We unexpectedly discovered that Kaia had an ear infection when the ENT was checking her out, so we will wait to take out the tubes in her ears in about 3 months. She is such a tough kid; she never complains of an earache. She also got a great report from the speech therapist, as she is right on target for a kid her age.

The last one to come in was Dr. Hopper, who performed both of Kaia's surgeries. He hadn't seen Kaia since her palate repair, which was 2 1/2 years ago. His first comment when he came in was something like, "Wow, what a great repair!" It was cute the way it came out, like "Wow, I did a great job," only it didn't feel like he was bragging, just admiring how beautiful she is. We discussed possibly doing an easy touch up to her nose next spring. We will reevaluate then, and if we decide to go forward with it, it will be a 15 minute outpatient surgery. Other than that, she will still have one more surgery around the age of eight.

Since I didn't have this blog when we adopted Kaia, I thought I would post then and now pictures of Kaia, so everyone can see what an amazing job Dr. Hopper did do! We are so blessed here in this country. We take it for granite that surgeries like this are so common place. If you are looking for a way to spend your Bush Tax Rebate, try donating to a worthy cause, such as Operation Smile. You have no idea how much you will be changing someone's life!

Old Friends...

This past week has been a week of visiting with old friends. First, the girls got to see one of their old friends who moved away last year. Okay, old is a relative word....like my girls, she's 3! Regardless, they miss spending time with their friend. We had a Princess modeling show following our Chinese dinner, and of course, enjoyed the company of her parents, Steve and Andrea.



The following night we had Auntie Julie and Ellie visit. Julie and I headed up to Vancouver for a refreshing time at the Beth Moore conference. If you're not familiar with her, she is hysterical, inspiring, and has quite the testimony. My wonderful husband and boys handled 2 days with a 2, 3, and 4 year old! Mike even took them all to the grocery store. What a guy. Thank you Mike, Kellen, and Joshua for allowing us some much needed girl time. Time away like this make me a better mommy:)

Under Dad's Watch....

Yesterday I went to watch my volleyball team play in a club tournament. I was only gone for a few hours, but the first picture is what I came home to. It's amazing how quiet she can be when she's doing something naughty. When Kaia is quiet, it's a sure sign something is happening. Of course, her sister was there witnessing the whole crime...

On another note, Kellen is home from his Senate Page duty. It was a great experience for him, but I think he was ready to come home. His host family had a four year old, and he said it made him really miss his sisters. He took the camera with him, but failed to take any pictures. Boys! The picture I posted is of him trying on his page jacket (over his Office Dunder Mifflin tshirt!). He and a young girl were the last of the 24 kids to get fitted; he was the biggest, she was the smallest. There is an official picture taken with our senator, Mary Margaret Haugen, that I believe will be released to the newspaper. I will link when it is in the paper.

Photo Fundraiser Opportunity

Many of you remember my mission trip last year to work in the Chaoyang, Liaoning, China orphanage. Mike and I are beginning preparations for both of us to work there this summer. Our first fundraiser is coming up in a couple weeks, on February 23rd. If you live in the Whidbey Island area, come on over to our day long photo session. Lori Aschbrenner, of Moments in Time by Lori, is hosting a fundraiser for us, with proceeds going towards our trip. Please email or call me to schedule your appointment. She is a wonderful photographer who took our family photos this past fall, and she uses her talent for many charitable causes. Feel free to share this opportunity with others who may be interested.

If you are unable to come by but want to donate towards our mission trip, you can make tax deductible checks to Visiting Orphans with my name in the memo. Thanks for all the prayer and support! I wish everyone could have an opportunity such as this. It truly is a blessing to be able to spend time with these precious children.