A Journey of Hope...

Bringing Belle Home: Today we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel in...

2011-07-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

Bringing Belle Home: Today we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel in...: "Today we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel in Qingyang City. We all gravitated toward the toast with all the interesting veggies on the..."

So much LIFE has happened!

2011-04-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

.....I have no words right now to explain why our precious Wyatt is not in our family photo at this time! Our JOURNEY of doing the HARD has continued and we TRUST that God is in control, that HIS LOVE is sufficient, and HIS GRACE carries us! Please pray for our family! April 2011

Prom 2010

2010-04-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas....Happy Birthday Jesus!

2009-12-25T18:29:00.001-08:00

What an AMAZING Christmas......

Our kids at The Mercy Children's Clinic Christmas Party!

Wow! Look at ALL these kids!

Zion played the cow in his Preschool Christmas Program...

Christmas Eve day the two oldest kids helped make homemade dog treats!

We brought some over to our vets and our friends that had dogs!

Our Christmas Eve Service was beautiful.

We sang Christmas songs and heard the Christmas story!

The kids loved the candle light service!

Before Zion and Wylie went to bed on Christmas Eve they sprinkled there reindeer food on our porch! They laughed and screamed the whole time!

Christmas Morning....

Grandpa and Grandma bought our family a Wii system!

Look at our ELF dinner!

The kids ate ALL their dinner tonight! After watching Elf the movie we surprised the kids w/ a special Elf dinner... spaghetti, chocolate syrup, syrup, m&m's and marshmallow treats!

Wylie ate 2 helpings worth....anything chocolate girl!

Wyatt went head first!

Zion had 4 helpings! He must of been hungry! He loved it the MOST!

It was a little scary how much our kids loved this dinner.....

December Fun.......

2009-12-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

Scott putting up the Christmas lights.......

Zion has worn his Santa suite 5 out of the 7 days a week.....

Whitney and Zion brought over some fudge to our neighbors....

Zion and Wylie playing while the others were making Christmas decorations.....

This year we decided not to pull out any of our decorations for Christmas....we made all of the tree decorations and made them bright and fun....

GO chef Whitney......making fudge.....

Zach had Micah paint with him....

Zach and Whitney painting their ornament for the tree.....

Zoe and Wylie...the Best buddies ever!

Our detailed little artist......

Zoe painting her school bus.....

Wylie and Zion painting together.....

This is my favorite photo of Christmas! This is a photo of Zach and Whitney and our foster baby Maria. We had Maria over 2 years and then she left us Christmas day to her forever family!

It'sThat Time Of The Year Again! Christmas Photo's...

2009-11-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

I remember posting last year about Christmas photos......
I did not post the good photo's that I used for our cards!
Zion did not want to smile....
Wyatt only had 3 photos with his eyes open...
Zoe had to decrease her smile.....
Zach wanted the puppies in every photo...
Whitney took a great photo the first time....beautiful!
and our little Wylie-Shiane could not take enough photos.....
she smiled the whole time.

A 5 Foot Walkway in 5 Minutes!

2009-11-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

I promise I did not put a brick in Wylie-Shiane's backpack.... Today was only her second day of school because she had aspirated pneumonia all last week! Let me tell you she was VERY determined to carry her backpack!

Headed to school with her BIG sister Zoe!

Ice Cream Fun....

2009-11-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

The weather has been so BEAUTIFUL these past 2 weeks! We have enjoyed being outside and playing! Of course our ice cream treats were GREAT!

"I am a walking tree!" Wyatt said.

Wylie Shiane's 1st Day of School

2009-11-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

Look at Daddy doing her hair!

She was posing BIG time for the camera today! Wylie-Shiane had a great day at school. She loved that her friend Ava was in her class as well!

Our Two Three Year Olds....

2009-11-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

Park time again! The weather has been so beautiful here...
We have really enjoyed being outside with friends!
These two kiddos are so FUNNY together!

Our life with 6 children!

2009-11-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a week and we are in the grove of the day in and day out of our life as a family w/6 very special and many different needs from our children....

ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT YOU HAVE TO FACE EACH DAY WITH HIS GRACE AND LOVE!

I am feeling organized w/ the 15 different medications between all the kids.

Lunches are made the night before....

Meds are drawn up for 6 days at a time....

We tube both our girls together through their G-tubes.....

Backpacks are waiting at the door for the next day at school.

6 different schools....

Plus one at home being home schooled 3 days a week!

I do feel like I am in the car more each day!

I LOVE NAP TIMES! or maybe JUST A REST TIME!

Then after naps all the kids start to arrive home!

Homework and more teaching!

Dinner is served around 5:30!

Baths for the 4 youngest!

Meds given and 2 last tube feedings.

Then we hook up the 2 feeding pumps for their night feedings....

Did I mention our little Wylie-Shiane gained 3 pounds her first week home!

CRAZY!

Then DADDY comes home!

Just in time to read a story to the little ones and then BED TIME!

We then have our two teenagers alone and quite time!

Well, then all the preparations for the next day starts!

As I drove home from a 3 1/2 hour doctor appointment with 5 of our kids I hear this little squickie voice saying, "Mom, I'm happy! Mom, I am really happy! I love my family!"

Tears running down my face because I realise it's our newest addition that has only been home 1 week today!

What a beautiful picture of God's love and heart for His Orphans!

He cares for each and every orphan!
It is so humbling to be given such special gifts through adoption.

Thank you for all of your prayers!

We are so blessed, even when adopting children our hurting for many different reasons....

We know that He has set forth each day before us an chose us to parent them.

That sure is humbling!

Fun TImes At The Park!

2009-11-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

Harvest Celebrations.....

2009-10-31T17:55:00.000-07:00

Our First Day Together As A Family With 6 Kids....

2009-10-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Introduced Wylie-Shiane to our puppies Maddie and Micah!

We had a 2 hour Doctor appointment!

Zoe loved to "read" stories to Zion and Wylie!

Our First Dinner out! We had loads of fun!

We celebrated my birthday as well as Wylie-Shiane's arrival!

Look at Wylie-Shaine in her Big Girl Bed!

First Plane Ride and We Are Headed HOME!

2009-10-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

We arived back home at 2am! We are VERY tired!

So much LOVE....so hard to say goodbye!

2009-10-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

We are forever grateful for AL the love Wylie-Shiane has been given at Mountain Shadow Kids!
She is moving from one loving place to a loving forever family!
We made all the care givers a butterfly bracelet and this is the poem Scott wrote to them:

"As a caterpillar goes through major changes in life to grow wings and turn into a butterfly,

so you have protected and nurtured our daughter so that she may symbolically sprout wings and fly into our forever family. Thank you for protecting, nurturing and loving our daughter. May this bracelet be a reminder of all the love you shared with Wylie-Shiane."

Adoption placement papers are signed! Praise God~

This was Wylie-Shiane saying good-bye to her caregivers and house!

More Photos of Our trip to Wylie-Shiane...

2009-10-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Here She is......

2009-10-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Okay...this one photo took ten min. to upload.... so we have to go run and sign adoption placement papers, get Whitney some See's candy and head out to the airport! O will update later..
Love ya all,
Scott and Heather

Happy 1 year Adoption Day Zion!

2009-10-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

Celebrating our little Zion!

A year ago we adopted our little China man!

He is a very loving, sweet and sometimes sour, polite, funny, energetic, and amazing 3 year old!

We had a very fun day with Zion!

Dad and Mom went to Zion's school and read a book about adoption,

shared some of his special toys from China and shared a special ladybug cookie with all his friends! We made homemade wantons and a special Chinese dinner!

To celebrate his adoption every year I will make ladybug cookie for Zion to share with his friends! The ladybug is often used as a symbol for Chinese adoptions!

Here are photo's from China one year ago!

Wow! What an AMAZING year little guy!

Getting Ready for Wylie-Shiane

2009-10-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Zoe and Wylie are sharing a room!

Zoe can't wait for Wylie-Shiane to home home!

4 more days and we will see our little girl!

Our New Pet's

2009-10-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

Introducing Micah and Maddie!

We were blessed with our newest additions this past August!

They are so fun and love to be held!

A Birthday Present!

2009-10-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

We are leaving on October 26th to bring Wylie-Shiane home!
We will only have to stay in CA for 3 days and we will return on the 28th!
We mailed Wylie a book a couple days to start the count down of our arrival!
We placed photos and talked about adoption! It is such a CELEBRATION!
We see ALL the beauty from the ashes!
I will be celebrating my birthday w/ our newest child in my arms!
I can't believe a year ago we left for China to bring our little Zion home today!
So, 11 more days and we will be reunited w/ our little girl!
Sorry about not updating you before today!
We experienced a season that we had to hold on to Christ and each other so closely these past 2 months! Thank you for your prayers and we look forward to updating the blog with our
Journey to Wylie-Shiane!
Be Blessed!

Where has the month of September gone?.!

2009-10-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well, to make this a short update......

The month of September 2009 has been the hardest month we have EVER walked!

.....after an 11 week stay in CA to bring our daughter home we had to leave her behind as we drove back home to TN!
.....Scott lost his job 4 days later!
.....our adoption was placed on hold due to having no income!
.....We had to deal w/ a VERY difficult situation at Scott's last job and we are still dealing w/ it!
.....and the grief and pain we were dealt felt way to heavy to carry.

PRAISE GOD, we felt like we were on Holy Ground!
God gave us breath when we needed,
God gave us peace when the storm and lions were all around us!
God grew Scott and I closer to him and each other!
God used this Lions Den experience to show our kids that HE is in control and will protect us!
It keeps on going.....
God used others to help us out financially.
and we can't limit the POWER of PRAYER!
We have never felt so covered by prayer in our lives!

A Heavy Heart....

2009-09-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well I have not wanted to update this blog due to the acceptance that our little Wylie is not able to drive home with us!~
Tears roll down my face as I talked to our little Wylie today and I quickly gave the phone to Scott!
I had 10 AMAZING weeks with my little Wylie in CA and we had to head home with out her on Tuesday night!
I needed to come back to TN to be a wife and mom of 5 right now.
We thought last min. things were going to come to an end and that ALL the paperwork would be completed by the end of next week but....
But, is right! Our social worker in CA has prolonged the placement again. Loosing paperwork, not turning in paperwork..... and really not having a heart for adoption and or us and Wylie!
We heard that the paper work was in TN but we have not had that confirmed.... I pray that we will have her before October and that time as well as ALL the paper work flies quickly!
Wylie is so loved and well cared for at her medical facility right now.
Scott fly out last Saturday and then we drove 46 hours to get home, well we stayed at a hotel the second night....
I am so tired and I need to get a good nights rest!
Thanks for your prayers!
I will update as soon as we know anything!
PLEASE PRAY FOR SCOTT AS WELL RIGHT NOW!
HE HAD A TOTALLY FALSE ALLEGATION AT HIS WORK AND HE KNOWS THAT THE TRUTH WILL SET HIM FREE! BUT THIS ALL CAME AT A VERY LOW PART OUR OUR ADOPTION JOURNEY W/ WYLIE.
SCOTT'S MEETING IS NEXT TUESDAY!

Week 8 Update....

2009-08-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

My child, never forget the things i have taught you. Store my commands in your heart, for they will give you long and satisfying life. Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you! Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and then you will gain a good reputation. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn your back on evil. Then you will gain renewed health and vitality.

Proverbs 3:1-8

It's been 8 weeks now that we have been in CA waiting to bring our little Wylie home! I have come to take each day as it comes and each moment by moment! His word has been my strength! Scott has been amazing supporting us all here during this journey! What should of taken 2-3 weeks has now become ____? This has been the hardest and persecuted adoption we have ever had with a social worker. We have learned to love and wait patiently and wait some more this adoption. My heart feels for Wylie and every time we drop her off she has to disconnect! She cries and gets mad when we get to the signal off the freeway! She knows! This has been a great journey for the 3 little ones to connect and love their new sister! Wyatt has done VERY well! He is such a sweet little guy! Zion has grown so much these past 2 months! He is talking up a storm! He has wants mommy to leave so he can have some time with my friends! "Bye mom! Get keys. Go mom....." That has been a nice step because he is more than ready for preschool! Zoe has had a hard time. We were in the ER with her 2 nights ago! She was acting like she was in CHF. She has had emotional days that go from happy to extreme sadness and making herself throw up! She has not eaten for 2 weeks since Whitney left CA! She has had major bowel issues as well! So Our DR. from TN placed her on a new medication and seems to be doing better! Thank God! I am doing okay! I am trying rest and help the 3 little ones rest as much as possible! This trip has cost over $6,000.00 SO far.... So please continue to pray that we can come home as a family ASAP! We heard that our social worker did not fix a sentence in the contract between states. So it was in court last week to see if it could still be approved. Please pray that county counsel approves the contract and then we will move to ICPC. ICPC is the contract for TN to take her on the next 6 months until the adoption can be finalized. That process takes 24 hours and then it comes back to CA ICPC for final approval! So we still don't have a time line for sure!

We wait patiently, and then wait patiently again!

Tomorrow is Monday and we will enjoy our little Wylie!

We thank you for your prayers!

Whitney flew back home for her first day of school!

2009-08-14T00:08:00.000-07:00

I dropped off Whitney yesterday at the airport! Man am I going to miss her! When she got back home I was talking to her and I just started to cry! She was talking to her cats and it made me want to be back home! I can't wait for that day when we enter our house as a family w/ our new daughter Wylie-Shiane! We have had a VERY LONG JOURNEY HERE IN CA! I have learned more about His love and patience than on any other journey in my life. I miss Scott and Zach so much! I can't believe Scott has never met our daughter yet! You will be able to hold her very soon Scott! Please continue to pray for a QUICK JOURNEY HOME!

Please Pray for Jordan

2009-08-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Jordan went in for open heart surgery on Monday! He had two mechanical valves placed and has had a lot of complications. He had a stroke, bleeding issues, medication issues,. blood clots and 2 seizures! This is a photo of Jordan and the quilt I made him. I think I made this one day on my 3rd week in CA! My friend Janet quilted it for me! Every time Jordan has gone in I have made him a quilt! I love this man and he is one amazing guitar player who loves Jesus! He is on the mend and resting good tonight! Amen

so what have we done the last 7 weeks in Ca.....

2009-08-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

John's Incredible P..... fun!

2009-08-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

Chuck-E-.......where a kid can be a kid!

2009-08-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach

2009-08-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

We loved the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach when we lived in CA! Scott and I would go every year on our Anniversery! They have kids classes for free! They painted and took a clay class! The photo below was painted by an artist and then he allowed children to paint on his painting! Yes, my Wyatt loved every part of this day!

They had painting lessons for the kids! (Wyatt was loving it!)

Heather and Whitney's new Toe-rings

Swimming FUN!

2009-08-13T21:58:00.001-07:00

We have all enjoyed swimming this summer in CA! Grandpa Don has been a great swimming buddy w/ all the kids! We have a swimming pool at Kabrina's house, so the kids think we can swim anytime!

Whitney and Kabrina (best buds)

LOVE.....

2009-08-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

Love,

And I will show you the most excellent way.

Love is patient,

love is kind.

It does not envy,

it does not boast

it is not proud.

It is not rude,

it is not self-seeking,

it keeps no records of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth

It always protects,

always trust,

always hopes,

always perseveres.

Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 12:31b- 13:1-8a

This is our JOURNEY....

LOVE!

We have all grown so much through this time with Wylie-Shiane!

I will write more later but as of right now we still have no date to come back home!

We have been tested w/ our social worker in CA beyond any other JOURNEY of adoption!

We will continue to LOVE her and not leave CA w/ out Wylie-Shaine.

She asked us to leave and then come back when she was ready.

PRAY!

We will not abandon our daughter!

PRAY that the paper work moves and we can bring Scott here ASAP!

We are blessed beyond measure to have friends walk this JOURNEY w/ us!

Our Dog Wallie was hit by a Car.....

2009-08-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

I feel so FAR away right now.

I'm sorry to write this but I need to feel connected right now!

I have spent the day on the phone connecting w/ Scott, Zach and the Pet ER.

Everything looked so good for being hit by a car but everything went to the worse tonight! Whitney and I sat on the phone for Wallie's last 30 min. of life w/ Scott and Zach and the vet on speaker phone.

I felt SOOOOOOO far away!

Wallie had head trama to his left side but not a broken bone!

He should signs of internal bleeding in his lungs late tonight and stopped breathing a couple of time... I am so thankful that Zcah and Scott were able to make it to be w/ Wallie before he took his last breath!

You know pets are so special and Wallie was Zach's BEST friend!

Whitney and I sat and cried on the couch together and I am so tired!

He loved life.... I am trying not to get to emotional but this has really hit me and hit the cord of my heart wanting to be united back in TN w/ our family!

Please pray for us right now!

I have to tell the kids when they wake up and then we are headed to spend time w/ Wylie!

We need prayer for this paper work for Wylie's adoption to get completed and we need to get back home!

We have been in CA for 5 weeks today!

Today since it's 8/3 already in TN oh ya and CA.....

Scott and I celebrate our 18th Wedding Anniversary!

Scott I love you so much!

You have been so supportive w/ our time apart so that I could be w/ our daughter!

You amaze me!

I really want to be home can you tell!?...

Thank you for praying for us!

One day at A Time!

2009-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

"When besieged, I'm calm as a baby.

When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool.

I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing;

To live with him in his house my whole life long.

I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet.

That's the only quiet,secure place in a noisy world.

the perfect getaway, far from the buaa of traffic.

God holds my head and my shoulders above all who try to pull me down.

I'm headed to his place to offer anthems that will raise the roof!

...Listen God, answer me! When my heart whispered,

'seek God', my whole being replied, 'I'm seeking Him.'

...I'm sure now I will see God's goodness in the exhuberant earth.

Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God."

(from Psalm 27--The Message)

Thanks Gillian for sending me this!

The AMAZING thing is that Psalm 27 is a very special to me!

I have it tattooed on my back! With a light house!

Our social worker in CA has been VERY difficult to work with.

We should of been home by now and we fell very stuck!

Our social worker in TN has been very supportive!

PLEASE PRAY that God's hands would move this paper work!

Pray that she would see HIS hands upon this all as well!

This is about an orphan who needs to be placed in her forever family!

Whitney will be leaving on the 12th, so that she can attend her first day of school on the 13th!

I will stay here in CA until we can bring our sweet girl home.

I am really missing Scott and Zach!

On Monday we will be celebrating our 18th Wedding Anniversary away from each other!

Scott has been so supportive even though I know his heart is so READY to have his family home!

We have been surrendering this all to God knowing that He has great plans for us all!

We will look back on this knowing He had His hands upon this ALL!

No News, IS NOT GOOD NEWS!!!

2009-07-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well the title says it ALL!

We are still in CA!

Whitney has been spending time w/ friends!

We drive 200 miles to see Wylie on Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat. and Sun. all day!

She has not had a full blown temper tantrum in 3 days!

Her first hair cut was one I will never forget!

I'll just say,"I had on little man on the floor screaming, one little Wylie scratching and biting me and the hairdresser!" and we were at the salon for over 3 hours!

PLEASE PRAY!

We need to bring our little Wylie-Shiane home! as well as the rest of us!

Pray that ALL the paperwork gets completed quickly!

We might have to fly Whitney home because school starts on the 13th!

Pray that the social worker gets going on her side of the paperwork....and pray for her heart to be softened!

Legoland fun...

2009-07-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

well we have done a lot of FUN things during our 7 weeks (so far...)! Here are some pictures of us at Legoland in Carlsbad, CA. We went w/ Grandma, My twin sister Heidi, Rob , Cousin Robert and Cousin Makayla. Zoe had a special day w/ my freind Ms. Diane and family!

No this is not real! But if hw gets one as an adult he promised me he would get this one!

Wyatt LOVED all the Lego people!

FAST RIDES W/MAKAYLA and AUNT HEATHER!

Robert and Whitney!

I Know...it's time to update the blog....

2009-07-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well... we are still in CA! Wylie-Shiane is still not w/ us! We see her Friday, Saturday all day, Monday and Wednesday 1/2 days. I am VERY tired and missing HOME! We are on week #3 and ready to bring our daughter home.

PLEASE PRAY: That all the paper work will move fast! This should of only taken one week! I would love to have Scott here for our 18th year anniversary on 8/3! Well I would love to be home w/ him!

Whitney is with me now and I am loving her here w/ us! She was great w/ Wylie! I will have to update w/ pictures as soon as I can upload them! Whitney had an AMAZING time in Guatemala and I can't wait to share the stories w/ you!

Updates on Whitney's Mission Trip

2009-07-04T23:20:00.000-07:00

I just got the blog address for Whitney's mission trip!
www.neverthesame09.blogspot.com
I also attached it to my blog list on the right side of the blog!
It was really exciting to read what God is doing in these students lives as they steeped out in faith to serve in Guatemala this summer!

Update on Wylie-Shiane!..... she is one strong willed little girl! I find it FUNNY that our youngest 3 children have the strongest personalities..... Love it!
We did not have as many fits and hitting today! We saw G and G today! Then we spent the rest of the day w. my friend Sandra and her family! We went swimming again and watched fireworks w/ them! The drive to Wylie back and forth is 200 miles a day! I am thankful for it but it's getting LONG! Please pray that we will be able to have overnights w/ her as well as our little Wylie stying w/ us full time! Tomorrow we are spending the day w/ Scott's day in Newport Beach! (Sorry Scott I mentioned the Beach! Miss ya and love ya, WE ALL miss you!)

Walking In Faith....

2009-07-03T22:22:00.000-07:00

WHETHER YOU TURN TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT,

YOUR EARS WILL HEAR A VOICE BEHIND YOU, SAYING,

"THIS IS THE WAY; WALK IN IT."

ISAIAH 30:21

THE LORD WILL INSTRUCT YOU AND TEACH YOU IN THE WAY YOU SHOULD GO; HE WILL COUNSEL YOU AND WATCH OVER YOU.

PSALM 32:8

DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD AND HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART. COMMIT YOUR WAY TO THE LORD;

ROMANS 12:20

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT,

HOLDING ON TO FAITH AND A GOOD CONSCIENCE.

1 TIMOTHY 1:18

THESE GIRLS ARE INSEPARABLE.....

I decided to put the photos up before I wrote about our day!

As you can tell we had the kids are doing well!

They ALL love their new sister.

but.... on no when there is always a BUT!

We have had some HARD times adjusting as well!

Did I just say we have had some HARD times adjusting, good!

Wylie-Shiane has been grieving and using her hands, feet and mouth to show us all how she would like things done! Poor Zion was hit today so many times I had to pull over and change his location in the car! I was hit every time I placed her in the car seat or told her no!

We went to Tar*** to buy some sand toys and it turned into a screaming match for little Wylie!

I LOST my cell phone and then forgot why we were even in the store...

So the first 2 hours today stretched me as a mom and I sure do miss having help around!

Then we went to the lake and the kids had a BLAST! Wylie has never been in a pool or a lake so she had a great time! Wyatt, Zoe and I also enjoyed being w our great friends!

Little Wylie has been in control of lots of things at her house. She is the only kid that walks and has not had boundaries set consistently by one person! They do an AMAZING job loving and caring for her but, she needs a dad and mom to love, teach, train and grow with! Praise God that wait is gone! I am SOOOOO tired! I miss Scott, Zach and Whitney as well as all my friends back home! Please pray that we can come home sooner then August!

HERE ARE SOME PHOTOS....

2009-07-01T21:28:00.001-07:00

WE HAD A VERY BLESSED DAY W/ THE YOUNGEST 4 CHILDREN ALL TOGETHER! WYLIE LOVES ALL OF THEM AND REALLY LOVED ZOE! SHE WOULD GO AND HUG HER THROUGH OUT THE DAY! WYATT SAD SHE IS REALLY COOL! SHE IS GOING TO BE A FUN SISTER! HE HAD SOME FEARS BEFORE MEETING HER BUT SCOTT AND I WERE ABLE TO CONNECT W/ HIM AND 3 MIN. INTO SEEING HER HE CAME UP TO ME AND DREW A SAD FACE IN THE AIR W/ HIS FINGER AND THEN CROSSED IT OUT W/ AN X!

HE TOLD ME HE WAS NOT SCARED ANYMORE! PRAISE GOD! WE PAINTED 4TH OF JULY SHIRTS, PLAYED OUTSIDE, (DID YOU SEE WYLIE-PUSHING WYATT IN THE WAGON!) I LOVE THE PHOTO OF ME AND MY CHINESE AND AFRICAN -AMERICAN TWINS! I AM ONE BLESSED MOMMA! I WISH YOU WERE HERE SCOTT! WHITNEY I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU ON THE 14TH AFTER YOUR MISSION TRIP AND ZACH, WELL YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU LOVED YOUR VACATION AT HOME! (I'M SURE IT HAS NOT BEEN THAT QUIET FOR A LONG TIME!) LOVE YA ALL! I AM GOING TO BED, I NEED MY SLEEP!

Please pray for me...

2009-07-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

My heart is really broken right now. Social Services can really forget about what their purpose is! Our adoption worker said some hurtful things to me today and i am really having a hard time. Every time I think about what she said I start to cry! She also reminds me that this process is going to take a LONG time! She won't even begin to tell me when she is going to be done w/ the paperwork so that we can have her and bring her home! She decided to make a schedule of when i can see her: Mon., Wed., Fri., 1-6:30pm Sat and Sun 9:30-6:30 I have no clue why she needs to be in control like she is. I heard that she was mad that I was here because now she has to deal w/ us and move the paperwork through! No reason why we can't see her Tue and Thur..... I am really having a hard time w/ this...... I need prayer please! I am glad to have this time w/ her but the judge did not restrict us like the social worker is? Any one that wants to give me advice my ears are open.... The other thing is that she feels that it is more important for our 3 year old to attend school then to spend time w/ her new family... Most 3 years old stay home w/ their family! She is not delayed either! HELP! Mama bear wants to react!

On a more positive note....our visit today was GREAT! The kids had a fun time making 4th of July shirts and hats. We ran to Wall mart and bought craft supplies to do together. Tomorrow we will take her out of the house and be able to have some time just w/ us! I will have to upload photos soon, maybe tonight!

She is ours!

2009-06-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

Praise God!

Wylie-Shiane will be forever in our family!

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

~2 Corinthians 5:7

My best friend Laura watched the 3 little ones so that I could surprise Wylie-Shiane tonight! Well needless to say, I will never surprise her like that again! I have come to see and understand that she does not like surprises and it would be a lot better to warn her about things.... So, when I came to the house she screamed! Not w/ excitement...FEAR and SADNESS!

No she did not run to me like Wyatt did when we first saw him.

She would not look at me for what seemed to be 2 hours. And held onto the care giver so tight! Finally she warmed up to me. At the end of my visit she let me rub her back and touch her little hands while we played w/ her bracelet!

Please pray that tomorrow goes better when she meets her brothers and sister!

I am SOOOO tired and emotionally exhausted! i will update more tomorrow!

Thanks for ALL of your prayers!

God Knew That This Day Would Be Before Us All.....

2009-06-29T21:27:00.001-07:00

It's AMAZING to slow down and REST in our Fathers hands!
He knew that June 30th, 2009 would be the date that Shaine (Wylie-Shiane) would have a judge in the Foster care system make a decision of where she will call her FOREVER HOME!

Tonight God connected us all together in three different states to pray for Wylie.
Scott and Zach are home, Whitney is in Miami getting ready to leave for her mission trip to Guatemala, and of course I am here in California w/ Zoe, Wyatt and Zion! It was so special to have that time to surrender tomorrow into our Heavenly Fathers hands!
I just laid down the 3 little ones and I wanted to reflect in His truth and meditate on His love, truth, compassion, hope and grace w/ little Wylie Shaine! We love her whole hearted!
We sing silly songs together twice a day! We steeped forward in obedience to God to welcome her into our hearts and family. We have been so blessed to love her through out these past 7 months! I am REALLY tired from driving 649 miles today! So i am going to end this post w/ the scriptures that God has placed in my heart tonight!

The Lord longs to be gracious to you;

he rises to show you compassion.

For the Lord is a God of justice.

Blessed are all who wait for him!

Isaiah 30:18

Those who know your name will trust in you,

for you, Lord,

have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10

He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God,

but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

being fully persuaded that God has power to do what he had promised.

Romans 4:20-21

The Lord declared, " I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.

I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak."

Ezekiel 34:16

For ye shall go out with joy,

and be led forth with peace:

the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing,

and all the trees of the feilds shall clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:12

Thank you for your prayers!

Praises and Prayer Request

2009-06-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot of time to write ALL the praises we have about the day Zoe went in for her heart-cath a week ago today! All I can say is that God showed His loved through EVERY staff member and everyone else we came in contact with. Our children's Pastor came and he even got to see Zoe's heart cath photos w/ us! Yes, she needs HEART SURGERY! It looks like we kill know more in a week after the doctors meet together to discuss her heart cath.

Other news:

Scott wants me to head out to CA to be there on the 30th of June. Wylie-Shaine's court hearing is on the 30th and it's almost 2 months since I spent a week w/ her! Scott will fly out as soon as all the paper work is completed.

Please pray that the judge will stay w/ his decision for us to adopt her.

Safe travel for me and my 3 little ones!

That our Zoe, Wyatt and Zion and I will have a fun time and not go CRAZY in the car!

That our time in CA would be a time for us to connect w/ Wylie!

That all the paper work would be done quickly so that we can bring her HOME!

and of course please pray for our little Zoe and her upcoming heart surgery!

Whitney is also leaving on the 29th for Guatemala for a 2 week mission trip! Please pray that God would use her in MIGHTY ways!

please pray for our zoe girl.....

2009-06-17T20:14:00.001-07:00

this photo is of zoe w/ one of the AMAZING child-life workers at the hospital.

zoe is going in tomorrow, thursday at 7am for a heart-cath.

she needs stinting, mapping of closed vessels and expanding one of her other stints in her pulmonary arteries.we also found out yesterday that she will being needing to go in for heart surgery soon! we will update you as soon as we can!

thanks,

scott, heather, zach, whitney, zoe, wyatt, zion and our little wylie-shiane in CA

*tonight i surprised zoe w/ a girls night out on the town!
i had our dear friends ashley and ava come over all dressed up to take zoe, whitney and i out to SOL for dinner. whitney, ashley, zoe, ava and I had a great time!
we went to the mall after dinner and got zoe a purse she earned.
i will update w/ photos later! We had a great night BLESSING our little zoe and making a forever memory w/ special girl friends!

REST SECURE...

2009-06-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

I will praise the Lord,

who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure.

Psalm 16:5-9
ZACHARY

WHITNEY

ZOE

WYATT
WYLIE-SHIANE

ZION

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge.

His truth is your shield and armor.

Psalm 91:4

FAMILY.....

2009-06-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

John 10:16 "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold;

I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice;
and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

His LOVE for Wylie-Shiane

2009-06-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

"I will not leave you as orphans;

I will come to you."

John 14:18

Rejoice...

2009-06-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

Rejoice in the Lord always,

I will say it again:

REJOICE!

Let your gentleness be evident to all,

The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your request to God.

And the peace of God,

which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

LOVE...

2009-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Love is patient,

love is kind.

It does not envy,

it does not boast,

It is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered.

It keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects,

always trust,

always hopes,

always persevers.

Love never fails.

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

TRUST...

2009-06-11T06:22:00.000-07:00

TRUST...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways aknokledge him,

and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Faith....

2009-06-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

FAITH...

FAITH is being sure of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see.

-Hebrews 11:1

His Truth and His Love for us....

2009-06-09T14:44:00.001-07:00

May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26)

I have decided to focus on His truth and His love for us during this time of uncertainty of adding Wylie-Shiane to our family. It's not that I am not focusing on Him but in the craziness of waiting to hear if she is ours can take a toll emotionally. We love Wylie-Shiane and thank God for this time praying, talking and holding her! We have found favor in His eyes. We have PEACE that she has experienced LOVE from us during these precious few months of knowing her. We know that she is in His hands and we trust that he will carry us ALL through this time of waiting for the trial on the 30th of June. Everyday I am going to post a scripture w/ a photo. This scripture was sent to me by my friend Sandra in CA. Thanks friend!

Beyond Our Control! I Surrender!

2009-06-08T17:48:00.001-07:00

Well today we heard that the trial will not be until the 30th of June!

The court paper work is due the 17th of June.....

Another thing I heard from Wylie-Shiane's worker is that the Judge is VERY relative focused?!...

Even thought the judge said place her w/us 2 court hearings ago we have NO clue which way this might go!

I SURRENDER!

I CAST ALL MY CARES UPON HIM!

I LAY ALL OF MY BURDENS DOWN AT HIS FEET,

AND ANYTIME I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO,

I WILL CAST ALL MY CARES UPON HIM!

I was in the ER last night w/ a gall balder attack!

Scott was the camp nurse at our church Jr. High and High School camp as well as Whitney was at camp! So that left Zach home w/ the 3 little ones until 5am in the morning!

I am doing better but I am still feeling the dizziness from the pain meds!

Yesterday was the first day I was not able to all Wylie-Shiane and my heart was aching!

I called her at noon today and I was really discouraged w/ the call.

In the background I could hear the nurse of the facility telling the care givers and "Shiane" not to call me mommy! "Shiane" her name is Heather not mommy!
I felt so discouraged and sad!
I did call the social worker and asked her to call the home to make sure this did not happen again!

All I can say,
"I am so discouraged and the unknown is such a hard place to be!"

I feel like I might miscarry and I am waiting to hear if my child will be ours!

So...Please pray for peace!

We will have to wait to the 30th to hear what the judge rules!

I am one sad momma right now!

Wylie-Shiane and mommy's hand prints! So CUTE! I miss her so much!

Prayers needed For Wylie-Shiane!

2009-06-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "I have good plans for you. I don't plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name, You will come to me and pray to me. And I will listen to you. You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me!

Jeremiah 29:11-14

Please pray that we will have favor before the Judge/Court to adopt Wylie-Shiane. Her trail is on June 17th at 7:30am! The social worker said it should be done by noon! The birth-father contested us adopting her and wants his step-sister to adopt her. We have done everything on our part to show our commitment to adopting her and the judge communicated that to the court yesterday. We are blessed to love her and pray for her each day. She knows us as mommy and daddy and greets every phone call I make with a HUGE, "Hi, Mommy!" Please pray for PEACE these next couple of weeks. My heart wants to be guarded but I know we are called to LOVE whole-hearted! (Is that a word?) Thanks for your prayers! We will update as soon as we hear on the 17th!

Please Pray For Wylie's Court Hearing!

2009-05-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

A week from tomorrow, Wednesday June 3rd is Wylie-Shiane's court hearing.

It's also Zion's 3rd Birthday!

We talk to our sweet girl 1-2 times a day!

We sent a DVD of us reading The Five Little Monkey's, singing, each kid talking to her and a photo show of my trip out to California w/ her!

I pray that as she watches it that she will see ALL the Love we have for her!

Specific Prayer Request:

1. That the Judge would have her transferred into our care ASAP!

2. That ALL the RED tape would be made clear and that God's will be done!

3. That God would continue to knit her heart to ours and ours to hers!

4. That God would be glorified in her life!

Thanks for your prayers!

Update on Wylie Shiane

2009-05-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to post again!

We were very sad that she was not able to come home w/me on Friday!Everything is so up in the air! The county is trying to do a couple things to allow the placement to happen fast! We should know more in the next couple of days!It looks like I might be making a road trip to California w/

Whitney, Zoe, Wyatt and Zion this next week so that we can be with her before

everything is final! Scott and Zach will hold down the fort and watch the animals and work while we are away! This will also allow Zoe to see her birth parents, Whitney to see her best buddy Kabrina, as well as all of us to spend time with Wylie, family and friends! If all the paper work can be completed this Friday, then we might wait to fly out to bring her home. It's only been 4 days since I left CA. and there is a big hole in my heart! Wylie is a little extrovert, full of energy (she NEVER stops), happy, funny, loving and special little girl! She is in 12 months clothes and wears a size 1 shoe at the age of 3 years old!

Please pray for California to move the paper work quickly!

We will update you soon!

Wylie Shiane looking at her photo album of her family!

She is laying on the blanket I made her as well!

Bath-time fun!

My First Day With Wylie Shiane!

2009-05-11T23:08:00.000-07:00

Jesus Loves The Little Children!

All the children of the world.

Red, brown, yellow, black and white they are PRECIOUS in HIS sight!

Jesus loves the little children of the WORLD!

What a gift!

Wylie Shiane is a little doll! (all 18 pounds!)

She has a great personality,

loves to sing,

knows all her colors,

says,"hi" to everyone that enters the house,

she knows her body parts and

has the sweetest little voice!

Tomorrow I will get to her house at 6:30 am to get her ready for school!

Every time she called me mom, I felt the tears in my eyes!

It was such an AMAZING day getting to know her!

I will update you all tomorrow! Be blessed and thank you for your prayers!

It's Time To Update!

2009-05-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here we are...at Wyatt, Zion and Zoe's dedication at Church!

Well... I have not updated our blog for 5 months!

During those 5 months...

Zoe turned 8!

Whitney turned 15!

Scott turned 39!

Zion has been home for over 7 months!

Zachary is working at Church a couple weekends out of the month on the robo-camera!
and Super-Why (also known as Wyatt) has been playing soccer! and for me MOM! Well I am very blessed and BUSY!

We wanted to update you on the little girl Shianne on the right of our blog.

We have been asking for prayer for her since November and the EXCITING news is that she has a family!

Wylie Shiane will be joining our family within a couple of weeks!

That's right! Our 6th and LAST little Red... is on her way!

I am blessed to be leaving in 4 days to go spend time w/ her in California!

We might be able to bring her home on Friday,

that would take a lot of paper work to move FAST!

Please pray for Wylie as she transitions into our family.

Please pray for the other kids and their adjustments to their new sister!

Please pray for saftey while I am away from Scott and the kids!

A visit with Gytis, Sam and Wyatt...Lithuanian buddies!

2009-01-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

Every time these three boys come together we are reminded how much God is into details! These 3 amazing kids grew up together in the same orphanage and then God brought Wyatt and Gytis together in the same city! Sam is only 3 hours away from us now as well! These boys are like brother's! We are so thankful to see God's hands in their lives in so many ways!

The dad's took all the little ones out for a walk to the park!

Snow Day! Well not today! Some time in December!

2009-01-14T17:49:00.001-08:00

Zachary and Whitney were so happy in December when they missed school because of a snow day! This was Zions first snow! He did not like the cold!

This is my friends Cindy's snowman and us Californians thought we learned how to make a snow man last year. Their smallest one was the same size as ours! I guess you cant built snowmen out of sand in California.... But is Wisconsin where Cindy grew up they had Lot's of practice!

Wow...Where did December go.....

2009-01-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year...
Okay, a month has past since I last posted anything... I left some people hanging because the last post was done when Wyatt was in the hospital having surgery. He was released 4 day latter! We had two more small surgeries at the end of December for Zion and Wyatt. We had a very relaxing Christmas. We missed Family and friends back home in California! It sure was a blast watching the little ones get so excited to open up their gifts!I wonder if God is like that when we use our gifts he has given us!?..I will update pictures for the month of December! I LOVE THIS PHOTO!

Our small group made 150 packet's for Ann's Just for Me Packets!

Wyatt, Zach and Zion dropping off 150 more "Just For Me Packets"

Wyatt received a "Just for Me Packet" from Anna's Birthday. It was waiting for him on his hospital bed.

Zoe and her feeding tube!

Wyatt being fed with his new tube. He was not able to chew for 4 weeks!

...Zion could not be left out with the tubes so he tried to feed Min the Monkey with Wyatt's new tube!Zoe was all about helping out the patient "Sally"
Zion loved to pretend he was a Doctor.
Wyatt with the Child Life Team.

Proof that Wyatt was discharged from the hospital!

Zoe and Daddy!

Zach and Whit went out to the Movies so we took the three little ones out for dinner!

Zoe could talk to Santa ALL night!

Wyatt loved to tell Santa all that he wanted!

Did someone say, "No Santa!"

Zion not happy about Santa!

This is how Zach studies for his finals...Upside down so that his blood will flow to his brain!

Wyatt was in his room sick!

Zion wanted to eat everything before him!

Zoe had so much fun making the cookies!

Whitney the red nose teenager.....

Cookies for Santa

Our kids on Christmas morning, "Happy Birthday Jesus!"

Zachary opened most of his presents upside down...

Our WNR (Winner)

Wyatt-man!!!

Zion (our squeaker)

Zach-attack

Our Zoe-bow.

This Christmas my mom gave each one of my sisters a piece of Jewelry my dad has given her thought out the years! She wrote a very special note to go with it as well!

Zion ready at 5:30 am for his surgery. Min came too!

Zion going in for his surgery on the 29th of December

Oh What fun it is.....

2008-12-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

I love elf your self! So fun!

We are still at the hospital!

2008-12-10T14:47:00.000-08:00

We thought we would be home today but,
we will be here until Friday or Saturday!
Wyatt is doing well!
They moved a muscle up to his top lip and fixed a couple more things on the inside of his lip.
Wyatt needs to stay on IV antibiotics and have stitches removed.
Thank you for your prayers for Wyatt!
Scott has been off the past 2 days so we have been switching off staying with Wyatt
Tomorrow I will have the 3 little ones here at the hospital.
Thank God this is a fun place to be! (The little ones think so)
Be blessed!

Please Pray for Wyatt's Surgery

2008-12-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

Wyatt will be going in for his 23rd surgery in 2 1/2 years tomorrow. (Monday)

He has the BEST attitude and is looking forward to receiving one of the "Just for me Packet's" we helped put together to celebrate Anna's 3rd Birthday in Heaven. I have to blog about that this week! We will update after Wyatt is in his hospital room! Oh ya, he is having another repair for his cleft lip and palate. Thanks for your prayers! I will have Zion with me during this hospital stay so pray that he can be easy! It's not easy entertaining a toddler in a hospital room! Love ya all!

Happy 1st Thanksgiving Zion!

2008-11-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! It was our 1st Thanksgiving in our home as well as Zion's 1st Thanksgiving in America! Last year we were blessed to stay at Kyle and Amy's condo in Florida for Thanksgiving! Did you see the photo of our little Turkey in the Whole Food's Bag? JK that was little Zion!

We started the day off:

-Making Indian head bands

-We made Indian wooden bean necklaces

-We made ceramic heart ornaments

-We made wooden cross ornaments

-We drew names to make a special clay ornament for that person. (this is a tradition we do every year)

-We made photo frame ornaments and placed the kids photo's in them

-Zachary and Scott made miniature TP tents for the kids to paint!

-We ate an AMAZING Thanksgiving dinner, thanks Whitney for ALL your help in the kitchen this year!

-One of our traditions before our meal each Thanksgiving in to place 5 pop-corn seeds on each plate. Then we pass a little bowl around and when it comes to us you place a corn in the bowl and share what you are Thankful for.

Some of the things that we shared are:

Thankful for the body of Christ and a Church family that loves us,

" " the job Daddy has and ALL the money he makes (I love how Wyatt added ALL)

" " all the Fun we will have in eternity! (Go Zach for sharing this)

" " our freedom to worship

" " our community and their love, friendships and prayers

" " authors and how they can use their gifts to write books for us to read.

" " Zoe said her family every time! WE LOVE YOU TO ZOE!

" " thankful that God gave us Zion as a brother

" " a roof over our head and food to eat

" " our family pets (Wallace, Mooshoe, Elvis and Bob The fish

....this was just some that I could remember......

-We also have a tradition of tracing the kids hands on fabric and then sewing it on our tree skirt. This years color is a yellow gold and I still have to sew them on.

_We decorated two Christmas trees as well!

The night ended with Daddy reading the kids a bedtime story!

WE ARE SO BLESSED!

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR OUR FAMILY!

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR OUR COMMUNITY, FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

WE PRAY THAT YOU HAD A BLESSED DAY AS WELL!

LOVE, Scott, Heather, Zach, Whitney, Zoe, Wyatt and Zion

Shareing Our Love With our Military Overseas...

2008-11-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

Today we had the opportunity to make Christmas cards for the Military serving overseas. Everyone participated by coloring cards and taping on our family photo. We thank God for the USA and the many people serving our country. We pray that their families would know that they are hero's as well as there father, mother, son or daughter serving our country! We packed up many different items like food, wet wipes, soap and other items they asked for. If you would like the address to send cards to them please comment below and we will send it to you!

God Bless The USA!

Family Movie Night!

2008-11-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

Last night we had a family movie night with the movie WALL-E from Disney!

We made Wall-e cookies and stayed up late!

Daddy, Zion and Wallace Time

2008-11-23T19:32:00.000-08:00

It's 30 degrees here and one of my favorite thing to see is little Zion get his winter cap and jacket on to go walk Wallace with Daddy! As soon as he sees Scott get the dog ready he has his hat on and is ready to go! This has been a special time for them! Scott will bring them down to the river by the house and run around! So much fun!

A Special Thanksgiving Lunch with Zoe!

2008-11-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

Zoe had a Thanksgiving Feast at school! Wyatt, Zion and I had a great time eating lunch in her classroom! Zoe wore a dress I wore in the 2nd grade that My Grandma made me for a school play! She told everyone how special the dress was. Even Whitney wore it when she was in 3rd grade!

WOW! FAMILY PHOTO"S Are we having fun yet!?@#%.....

2008-11-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

It's been a little crazy here at the Redington's!

I have forgotten how hard it can be adjusting to a new little one! I'm loving it! But we could use some prayer for all our kids as they all find there place in the family and as they adjust to having a toddler around!

Zion has adjusted well! He has his moments, but it sure is nice that he is pretty much ALWAYS HAPPY! Wyatt has had the hardest time in the past 2 weeks and then it seems that Zoe is regressing as well. My pray would be that God would guide both Scott and I as we help the kids adjust!

ALL THIS IS SO NORMAL!

But I have come to really see my need to surrender each day to God!

I can not rely on my own strength!

more laundry....

more mouths to feed....

more needs to meet....

more trips to the bathroom...for Zion that is! Less for me!

more teeth to brush....

more time to share....

more tears to comfort...

more running around....

Happy 5th Birthday Elizabeth....

2008-11-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

Happy 5th Birthday !

Happy Birthday Elizabeth! You are one of the sweetest girls! You are always willing to help and be a good friend! The kids had a great time at your birthday today! We can't wait to see you with your sister Claire! Your Dad made Amazing homemade ice cream for your party and you and your mom did a great job on the yummy cupcakes! Blessings to you this 5th year!

Fun Friday.....

2008-11-14T21:25:00.000-08:00

Friday was filled with a first hair cut! Playing with plastic storage containers and anything else we could find to wear as a hat. wrestling, a special dinner with Zach and Zion and LOT'S OF LAUGHS!

Fun Friday started with a hair cut for Zion! Look at his hairy back! You should see the floor!
Looking good Zion!
Our AMAZING girls!
So much FUN!
Scott and I took our "Z" boys out! Zachary and Zion for a special dinner! We are trying to take each kid out weekly with Zion to have some one on one time with him as well as us!
SO WHO COULD SCREAM THE LOUDEST? Well it was not Zach! It was between Zion and Zoe!
So Whitney who's toy are you riding on? How many kids can you get on this toy?
Why do we even bother buying toys when they like our storage containers from the kitchen?
Even Wallace got in on the FUN!

The kids wrestled....
Zachary reading!
Whitney on a texting break...
I think my three little ones have some of the CUTEST feet!
Can you guess who's they are?
Zoe is on the left, Zion is in the middle and Wyatt is on the right!
Fun times with Zach!

We thank God for blessing us each day with so many precious memories! We are reminded everytime we look at Zach and Whitney how time goes by so fast and before you know it your kids are in High School! Wow! May you be blessed today!

"...giving thanks for you..." - Ephesians 1:16

Happy Veteran's Day Parade!

2008-11-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

Look at our newest American Citizen....
Go USA!
Happy Veteran's Day!
God Bless The USA!

Today I knew I had to get out with my 2 little guys!
I was tired and thanks to my friend Laura and her Starbucks gift card to me....
we went out to get "caffeinated!"
Then we saw that there was a Veterans Day Parade! The kids and I enjoyed watching the parade! It sure is AWESOME to be part of a community that shows so much American Pride! Thank you to all of our Veterans and everyone that is currently serving our country! May God Bless you and Keep you safe!

Go Franklin High School!

Precious Prints

2008-11-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

We made a hand and foot print today at Precious Prints!
Zion was not into it! I think the doctor visit was still effecting him!
But,we sure will have a SPECIAL MEMORY of our sweet boys little hands and feet!

A Special Day out with friends and Art Class

2008-11-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

SO MUCH FUN!
Zion and MeyLin played while their brother and sister went to art class!
It was their first time really playing together!
Thanks Cindy for allowing the kids to take photos with your camera!
That was FUN entertainment!

Zion thought he could take a picture with Ms. Cindy's camera if he put his nose on it! It was pretty FUNNY! Or at least he thought so!

What a FUN day! We met Ms. Cindy and Ms. Ann for lunch before the kids art class!

Wyatt, Elizabeth and Miyah went to an art class after lunch!
They made a Gingerbread Cookie Plate!

Way to Go Grandpa Don! Go USC!

2008-11-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

Don is the one in the middle
(or the one that looks like an older Scott!)
Last night Scott's Dad Don or Grandpa Don to our kids was taken on to the field at the Los Angeles Coliseum during the USC - Cal football game and in front of 90,000 people was honored along with 3 other members of his freshman class swim team and their coach for their National Championship that they won as FRESHMAN in 1958. This group of swimmers went on to be one of the greatest groups of swimmers in the history of College swimming, and their accomplishments as a team have never been been repeated by any other team in the nation. This was a tremendous honor, and a very special event.

Don is on the left side

Don is in the middle
Way to go Grandpa Don! It was great to see last week and see you with your new grandson Zion! Love ya!

WHAT A DAY! It started out with singing, then went to screaming and then went back to having fun!

2008-11-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Our morning started out with Zoe and Zion singing in the bathroom while I took a shower! I forgot you can't leave a 2 year old walking around while you try and get ready! So I had Zoe feed him breakfast and Zoe and Zion sang the whole time!

This is the face of a little guy who does not want to see the doctor!

So sad! Zion got 4 shots and 3 vials of blood drawn today!
No fun! He will have 5 more shots in 2 months! I forgot how much I don't like taking the kids to get shots! OUCH, sweet boy! He cried for over 3 hours and threw anything he could find to show me how MAD he was!

BATHTIME FUN......

Zion loves to wash Wyatt's ears!

PLAYTIME!

Zion is really adjusting to our bedtime routine!
Time to read!

Time to brush the little ones teeth!

Prayer time with the little ones... and then
Zion is ready for snuggle time with mommy!

Goodnight!

Our first days home......

2008-11-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

Zion loves to ride his Batman bike that Ms. Stefanie and Ms. Cindy gave him!
He has enjoyed meeting our neighbors and eating!
He loves walking around the house and watching and imitating everything and everyone!

What a car full....and WELCOMING home Our Whitney!

2008-11-06T16:52:00.000-08:00

Slowly and surely I am finding time to update this blog!
Wow, what an active 2 year old I have on my hands!
and I am loving every moment!
Here are some photo's of our ride home on Sunday from the airport!
We only had room for one more now that we are a family of 7!

Whitney's samll group from Church came to our house as a surprise to welcome her home! So RAD! Her friends and leaders are AWESOME! They ate cookie dough and then made some cookies as well! Thanks for loving my daughter! We love you all!