The Bravest girl in the World!

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What a week! Do you see this little princess in the photo above? Well, she has once again, amazed her momma. Thursday morning, she woke up complaining of belly pain, at the poke site we use for her SubQ chelation pump. I thought perhaps I had put the needle in crooked, or she slept on it, and it was pinching her. We stopped the pump early, but the pain continued. She cried off and on all morning. After lunch (which she refused to eat), she began to run a temp. Not much of one, but still a temp. That is when I began to get a little worried. By afternoon, she was walking all hunched over, the pain was still there, but seemed to come more in waves. She would be fine for a few minutes, back to her happy self, and then complaining of pain the next. By 4pm, I was getting very worried, so Dale took her to Springfield, to the ER. Five hours later, they were home, with no answers. Her urine screen was negative, and her blood counts were all normal. I had hoped they would do an ultrasound, to check her appendix, but they felt it was not necessary, since her blood counts were normal. Friday morning, she woke up still in pain, although she slept well through the night. Thank God we had an already scheduled blood transfusion in Peoria, at St. Francis Children's Hospital. When we got to the hospital, she could not walk without pain, so I had to find a wheelchair for her. Her hematologist examined her, and was also quite concerned over the pain. Once again, her lab counts were normal - with the exception of her Hg, which we knew would be low. Dr. Ross ordered an ultrasound, to ease both of our minds. I knew there was something wrong, when the tech left, and brought back 2 radiologists. Both agreed that her appendix were enlarged, irritated, and filling with blood, all signs that perforation was imminent. They recommended removing them ASAP. Panic hit me! All I could think of were worst case scenarios, and my heart broke for this little peanut who has already been through SO much in her seven years. We finished her blood transfusion, and were transferred upstairs, to the pediatric surgical floor. Wonderful, amazing friends stepped up for us. Marc and Sandra loaned Dale their van, so Dale could come be with us. They also took many of the kids for the evening, which was quite brave of them! Brett came to bring Meng a stuffed dog, which she fell in love with. He prayed with Meng, and his prayer brought me the peace I was needing. Meng's surgery began a little after 6pm Friday night. The surgeon I requested was available, and that also brought me peace. Dale and I hugged our sweet girl, who at that point was crying some fearful little tears. We prayed with her, and off she went to the OR. Then we spent some more time praying for her, and figuring out a plan of action for the upcoming days. Her surgery was quick and successful. Praise God, her appendix had not ruptured. She was able to have the surgery laproscopically, which was a blessing! She was in some pain, but not as much as we expected. Daddy kissed her goodnight and headed home (to rescue Marc and Sandra, and poor Patrick who took care of a screaming Daley), and she and I snuggled in for the night. Saturday morning, she amazed me. She ate a full breakfast. She never complained of pain. She wanted to go for a walk. She wanted to play games, and take a bath. We had to make her take pain meds. At noon, all the docs could find no reason to keep her hospitalized! By 1pm, less that 24 hours after major surgery, we were on our way home! Today, Meng spent most of the day mad at me! Mad at me because I would not let her ride a scooter, and climb on the swingset with her cousins. She doesn't understand why she cannot run and play, and I cannot understand how she can want to do these things so soon after surgery!!! LOL MengYan McKinney will never cease to amaze me. She is so incredibly smart, brave, and resilient. I know now how she survived in China, because she has the tenacity of a bulldog. She is a go-getter, and will not let anything stop her. God created her an amazing littler personality, that just doesn't let things stop her. I cannot wait to see what God has for her, in her future. It is gonna be awesome! She is a real treasure!

Happy Resurrection Day!

What a blessed Easter! Got to spend lots of time with those I love the most, had an amazing and very successful Adoption Fundraiser breakfast, and most of all, got to teach the kids more and more about what Jesus Christ did, to save us all from our sins. Life is good, God is great, We are BLESSED! Enjoy these photos of my lovies!

Loving my "NEW NORMAL"

What is normal, anyway?? Well, I guess it is what we are used to. We are finally all settling in, and getting used to have three xtra children in our family. It has not always been easy, there has been stress, arguments, and some serious cat fights. But, it seems that all of this is drawing us close, drawing us together as a family. Recently, we were at an amusement park of sorts, and the kids were go-karting. An older man, who was not very nice, began to scream at Keagan, and at the attendant, accusing Keagan of not driving his go-kart properly. It got ugly very quickly, and Keagan broke down, the tears flowing. It was horrible, and it was awesome. ALL of the kids ran to Keagan, encouraging him, hugging him, telling him they were sorry the incident happened to him. I think that was the first time I SAW us as a family. Caring for each other. It still brings tears to my eyes. I think God put that nasty, horribly grouchy man in our paths, to show us all that we care about each other, even more than we realized.
These kids are awesome. I am loving them more each day. Brian, as difficult as he can be, has won my heart with his sweet innocence, and his affection. Brittany is learning to be a kid, something she has not done much of. She is learning to have fun, and be crazy. Brianna is already crazy and fun-loving, but she is learning acceptance. My kids are learning what is means to share what God has blessed us with, and to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, if it is in service to our Lord. God is good. His plans are awesome. I am happy and content. :)

Holy cow, I am a GRANDMA!!!!!!

Yep, it is true. I do not FEEL old enough to be a grandma, but I am! My oldest baby just had a baby! Brogan and Zachary are parents! LANDON NELSON NEW made his appearance into this world, on Brogan,s birthday, Monday, MArch 19, and I was privileged to be there! IT was such an amazing experience, one I will cherish forever! Let me back up to say, that YES, Dale and I really did load up 9 kids, and drive them all the NC, in hopes of being there for Landons' birth. God was good enough to make it happen!
We had a great time in NC. We stayed in an amazing house, got to visit with Niu Niu, Meng's BFF from China, played on the beach, road go-karts, and all got to know each other better!
The new "normal" for us is getting easier every day. Brian is such a love. He is thriving in his new school, and outside of still having issues with lying, he is doing amazing. He even began to call Dale "Dad". Brought a tear to my eye! The girls are doing better as well. We have had some pretty HUGE fights, and lots of angry hormones raging, but that too, seems to be getting a little better. It is just incredibly HARD to bring three kids into your family and make it all work. Especially when these kids have been raised COMPLETELY different than the kids you are already parenting! But, God's Hand is at work, and He is making it happen!
Other news!?!?! Patrick went to Michigan last weekend, to meet Daynene's parents. Sounds serious?!?!? I am getting nervous! She seems like an awesome young lady, I am just not ready to let my Patrick go quite yet! LOL We had 15 lambs born on the farm while we were gone! Poor niece Mandi got to birth them all! Wonder if she will ever housesit for me again?!?! LOL Kegan is getting braces this week! He wants purple ones....this should be interesting! LOL 8 more weeks of school. Cannot come quick enough! This momma needs a break!
Well, more updates soon!
This granny needs some rest!
Much love!

So far, so good!

Well, we begin week 4, of adding 3 children to our family. It is really going very well. Better than I expected. Brian has been a little difficult, but seems to get easier each day. I think he is learning our routines, and I am learning how to handle his unique-ness better. He is a sweet, sweet boy. He wants to please. I think he has had a lot of years of being picked on, and being treated unfairly. He starts his new school on Tuesday. I met his classmates and his teachers, and I am impressed! I think this will be a good move for him.
The girls are doing well also. They decided I was old and frumpy looking, so they decided to give me a make-over tonight! They did a good job! I just hope they do not Expect me to look this way Every day, because I do not have a spare hour in my day to do my hair and make-up! LOL
Truly, the only issue we are having, at this point, is the three girls getting along. Bronwyn is struggling with sharing so much....her house, her room, her clothes, her parents, her life. I totally understand. God put these kids on OUR hearts, but not necessarily on hers. Her reign as oldest daughter (at home) has been challenged, and she is not liking it. Please pray for her, and for the others. It is easy for Dale and I to say that God did not call us to be comfortable, but to serve......it is harder for us to ask this of our children, who just want life as they know it.
Will update more soon! At this point, we are all hoping to finalize adoptions by December!
Blessings!!!!

This Amazing, Radical Life!

Wow....you simply would not believe what has happened over these past two weeks! I am not sure I even know where to start!!!

1) We took temporary guardianship of Brandon, Brittany, Brianna, Brian, and Bria on February 5. We were terrified, excited, worried, and hesitant, but took this huge step, totally trusting our Lord. He Has always been faithful.

2) The very next day, a family we had been praying for asked if they could be considered as a family for Bria, the 2 year old. We packed Bria up, and she went to stay with them on a home visit, to see how it would go. She is still there! She calls Heather momma already, and cries when she leaves her sight!

3) Another day passes, and a family from our Sunday morning small group drops a bomb on us! They would like to meet Brandon, the 15 year old, and are considering offering him a permanent home with them! I cannot tell you how surprised, but excited we were with this news! This is the perfect family for Brandon! He spent several evenings with them, and then moved in!

4) That left us with Brittany-13, Brianna-12, and Brian 10. A manageable number, considering we still have 6 at home already! Things have gone fairly well. The girls have been fabulous. Brian is harder, as he has significant delays and some anger issues. But, he has an amazing affectionate side to him, that has touched my heart.

5) This past week, I talked with their birthmother, as to her future plans for the children. She told me she was ready to sign them over to our agency, and move forward. Our conversation left me with such mixed feelings. The very next day, she went to the agency, and terminated her parental rights. Just like that. Wow.

6) So.......the plan! Bria is in the process of being adopted by the Townsends. A perfect match for her! Brandon has found his forever family with the Prices. An unexpected, but also a perfect match! And we are in the process of becoming permanent parents to Brittany, Brianna, and Brian! Again I say.....WOW.

7) And one more amazing thing happened this week. I have a peanut little Chinese peanut I have been advocating for. Her name is Liu Run Tong AKA Kara, and she is 2 years old. She has Beta Thalassemia, just like my MengYan. This week, our dear friends, the Abla's received their pre-apporval from China, and they will be making her a permanent part of their family! I am doing the HAPPY DANCE! I am not sure who I am more excited for.....ME, Her, and Them!!! LOL

God, this is one heck of a ride. I was the woman who did not want children. You have taken my selfish heart, and changed it so radically, that I am preparing myself to become the momma to ELEVEN children. AND I AM HAPPY ABOUT IT! Really HAPPY!!!

More updates to come. But probably not quite as often, as I am just a wee but busier than usual! LOL
May God bless you all, and may you choose to always obey Him! His plan is perfect!

All my kids are home!

Hello! I am having a great week! Brogan is home from Germany! And Patrick was able to be home for the weekend as well! I decided to take advantage of the fact that we were all back together again, and have the kids photos taken. So, I drug them all to WalMart, and that is where the awesome photo came from!
Brogan is so cute pregnant! She is not nearly as big as I was expecting! She only has 6 weeks to go! Landon Nelson New will be born in North Carolina, so guess where I will be spending a lot of time in the next few months! LOL I am Excited. Still taking votes on what to be called, however. Mamo is Irish for grandma, but my friends all like Granny Annie. I think it makes me sounds too old! We'll see!
Good news on MengYan! A recent trip to Memphis, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital revealed that her iron overload levels have dropped from 25.9 down to 15!!! This is awesome! All of her labs came back very good, and her health is better than it has ever been, since we brought her home 2 1/2 years ago. Our God is good, and His healing hand is upon her!
Update on the Fab 5, as we call them. After dropping out of sight for sometime, their birthmother called us crying and pleading last week, and wants us to come get them. At this point, our agency feels the state will not approve us for all 5, but we have another home that MAY be interested in splitting them with us, and having regular, weekly visits, to keep them as together as possible. We are picking them up on Sunday, for a 2 week temp guardianship. Still not sure this is right, but these kids are part of our hearts now, and we want to do all We can for them.
Farm life is still keeping me too busy, but at least the weather has been good! We have downsized our farm considerably, selling off the ponies, the mini donk and many of the chickens. Trying to make things more manageable, so as to have more time to spend with my treasures, and all that entails!
Well, more updates to come! Gotta get some Zzzzzzzs
May God richly bless you and your household!
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