Christmas is COMING!!!

Happy December!  We are all SO excited about Christmas!  The Season of Jesus' birth is our favorite!

We have so much to be thankful for!  I am not even sure where to begin!

Hmmm, here are the highlights of the last few weeks:

1)  Brittany, Daley and I completed our first 5K!  Brittany got 2nd place in her age group!  I am SO totally proud of that girl, and we had an absolute blast running.  Have another one coming on Dec. 31

2)Daley's surgery went AMAZING also!  The infection was smaller and more contained than they anticipated, ear drum is repaired, and she is smiling, giggling, and back to her happy self already!  No Picc line needed, only one day of pain, and she is happier than ever!  PRAISE GOD!

3)The Herald and Review ran a wonderful article on my family, which was featured on Thanksgiving Day!  I am so thrilled that this article may encourage people to consider adoption, especially the adoption of older children, or children with special needs.  Our buddy Jim did a terrific job, and we love him lots!  Here is the link, if you are interested:

http://herald-review.com/news/local/traditional-values-at-the-heart-of-this-non-traditional-family/article_5aec5402-3472-11e2-ad7d-0019bb2963f4.html#.UK5BNJH0h3I.facebook

4)Brogan, Landon and Zachary will all be home NEXT WEEK!  We are so excited to see them!  It is so amazing to be a grandmother.....there is just something so cool about your baby having a baby!  BUT....it is SO hard to have this sweet little man be almost 9 months old, and I have only got to see him twice!  Been praying so hard that they would choose to move closer to home, once Z was released from the Army, but he recently accepted a position in Cherry Point, NC.  18 hours away.  But, trying to hang onto the joy I will have when they arrive Tuesday morning!  :)  And my Patrick will be home for Christmas break beginning next Friday as well! My house will be full, and so will my heart!

5)  We have been blessed, blessed, and more blessed.  My crazy family stirs attention everywhere we go.  Usually lots of stares!  But lately, it has been good attention!  We have been learning the process of receiving, rather than giving, which is hard, but we are trying!  We have received enormous amounts of groceries (well, ok, about a weeks worth LOL), lots of help with our mission fundraiser, and help with our Christmas spending.  One evening, we were not anticipating eating out, but some circumstances ( a party) required us to eat at a restaurant, which was not our choice, by anymeans.  Afterwards, we were a little bummed, to have spent $50 eating a meal we did not really care for.  Not an hour later, my husband received a gift of $50 from a complete stranger, who had read about my family, and wanted to bless us.

God is just so good.  Never forget that.  He wants nothing more than a relationship with us, our praise, and our obedience.  

Enjoy some pics of my treasures!

What's new with the fam on the farm!

Well, it has been a while since I have had time to update!  Sorry!!!   Busy as always!   This little princess, smiling her best smile, is my THREE year old baby Daley!  Yes, she turned THREE in October!  This is quite a milestone for her, since she was not supposed to live to be 1!  She is doing well, but continues to struggle with a chronic infection in her left ear, which has recently been diagnosed as a mastoid infection.  She is scheduled for surgery December 3, so we would appreciate your prayers!  She is a very, very special one, as those of you who have met her already know!

Mr. Rory had a cool event this past month.  After 6 years of no contact, his birth-grandmother called, and asked if she could come meet him!!!  She had not seen him since the day he was born!  Rory was his usual self, he danced for her, sang her, and then told her this was the "greatest day of his life".  It was precious!  I hope they can form some sort of relationship.  I feel it is so important for my kids to know their first families.  It is a forever part of who they are, and saves them from a lot of drama when they are older.  Thank you Lord, that grandma Helen called and came to visit!  She is a beautiful lady!

Here we all are, at Grandma Ginger & Grandpa Jiggs 50th wedding anniversary party!  What an inspiration!  In a world where people trade spouses like cars, I am proud of the legacy both sets of grandparents have given to us!  Dale and I celebrate our 25th this Feb.  What a blessing!  I truthfully love him more now than I ever did when I married him!  He has aged quite well!  LOL

Speaking of Dale, here is is with my MengYan, and her special new friend Ru Tong, who was recently adopted by Marc and Sandra Abla!  You may remember me rejoicing over their decision to adopt Ru a few posts back.  Well, God moved mountains for the Abla's and they managed to get her home in record time!  She has been home a month, and is transitioning fantastically!  She is the sweetest little thing, and I thank God that He not only let me be a tiny part of her adoption, but he is allowing me to get to know and love her!  

And this is Charley!  Well, Bronwyn, who is my diva/farm daughter, decided that she wanted a baby pig for her 12th bday!  REALLY!  Of all things!  I was quite shocked, but since she is daddy's lil girl, they took off on a road trip and brought home Charley!  No.....I am not allowing him to be a house-pet.  He is shacking up with the chickens, and that is just fine with me!

Other news:  

Brittany, Brianna, and Brian are thriving!  We are loving these sweethearts, and thank God for the opportunity to be their parents!  They have brought even more joy, love and crazy fun to our home!  We should be finalizing their adoptions in December!

I know what you are wondering......are the girls and I still running, right?!?!

Well, we ARE!  We are up to 3.5 miles every other day, with NO walktime.  Tomorrow is our first official 5K race, and we are READY!  Now, we don't run fast, but we WILL finish!  And the crazy thing is, I REALLY enjoy running!  It is the best stress-reliever I have EVER found!  My knees no longer hurt, my muscles no longer ache, and I am slowly losing some weight.  Hoping the winter weather allows us to continue to run all year long!

God bless you all!   

Keep Jesus near to you in everything you do!

The Hardest Thing I Have Ever Done (YET)

Well.  I used to say that Daley was the hardest thing that I have ever done.  Then, I found out I was wrong, it was actually Brian.  Well, actually, I have discovered that both of them are not so bad, compared to my newest challenge.  About 3 weeks ago, I decided that it is now or never.  I am 40-something years old, and I have never been this out of shape, or this over-weight in my life.  Add that to the idea that I have been completely in awe over "Team Hoyt", the dad who takes his disabled son with him to compete in marathons, and Iron Man competitions.  So.....3 weeks ago, I began the "Couch Potato to 5K" program.  Wow.    It. Is. So. Hard.  

But, I have made it to the 3rd week, which is quite an accomplishment for me.  I borrowed a jogging stroller, so Daley can come with me.  She squeals and giggles the whole time, and fusses when I slow down.  Brittany, one of my newest daughters has been running with me.  She has these LONG legs, and has a very athletic build.  Let's just say that she humors me, by pretending to be tired and out of breath so I don't feel so pathetic.  A few days ago, though, she brought a tear to my eye.  And it wasn't from pain, either!  I was struggling, and ready to quit.  She began quoting Phil. 4:13 right at me!

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength"!!!!!

She caught me so off guard!  This young lady, who 6 months ago was living in condemned trailer on the wrong side of E St. Louis, is now encouraging ME in God's Word!  I am in awe of you Lord!  

And......I will keep running.  

We miss you, Ippei!

Ippei learning to be a "farm-hand".  He didn't like stacking hay very much!  Neither do we!

Keagan and Ippei in the hay loft

One last photo together
(everyone except Patrick and Brian)

Ippei's last day in the US

Well, Ippei Tanaka has gone back to Japan. He is a really neat kid. It takes a very patient, tolerant, and crazy person to move into this household for a month, and thrive! The kids all learned a lot from Ippei, and miss him a lot. It was really neat to see how they all bonded to him, but I think MengYan the most. They spent a lot of time together, making origami crafts, and playing card games. Ippei did not speak much English, but the kids found ways to communicate with him anyway. We hope and pray, that even though we did not get the opportunity to share Christ with him directly, that he took a little bit of Christ back with him, to Japan. He seemed to enjoy church, and especially VBS. His mother called to let us know he arrived home safely, and she said he wants to come back next summer! He is more than welcome! It was a really awesome experience! 4H is always looking for host families, for both their school year exchange program, and their summer 4 week program. Interested?!?! Send me a message, or comment, and I will share some information! God Bless!

Momma Bear VS Six Flags

See this joyful, happy little man(4th from the left) on the ride at Six Flags?!?! Well, this is the way it is supposed to be! Kids....having fun at Six Flags. But it wasn't this way all day for us. Rory is my 6 year old treasure, and he was born with Radial-Ulnar Clubhand. It doesn't stop him....he does anything he sets his mind to. We cannot even get him into occupational therapy at this point, because he does not have enough of a delay in his motor skills.

 Well, we went to Six Flags last month, all 12 of us. We rode rides all morning. And then we took Meng and Rory to the kiddie rides. It was there, that we were told Rory could not ride anymore. Rather rudely, I might add. It seems that Six Flags has a new policy that went into effect this year. All riders, on any ride, must have at least one complete hand/arm, and one complete leg/foot. So, Rory was unable to ride for the rest of the day. We spoke to management, and they would not budge. It did not matter what Rory was capable of, it only mattered what they saw. And that, my friends, is wrong. In fact, it is discrimination, based on Section 3 of the American Disabilities Act. This is the first time we have ever been hit in the face with discrimination at this level. It was an awful feeling.

 So, what do we do? Well, there is one thing you should not do, and that is to mess with my kids. It is kinda like poking a momma bear with a stick. I get angry and I get mean! LOL So, we drove to Chicago last week, to meet with one of the top disability attorneys in the state. He said we have an awesome case, based on 1)No accommodations were made for Rory, he was just told no 2)The policy is over-inclusive to Rory, and under-inclusive to those who have full limbs, but lack function in them, and 3) The policy is in affect for ALL rides, the Screaming Eagle, right down to the Merry-Go-Round, despite the differing risks/dangers. We have not hired the attorney at this point. We sent certified letters to Six Flags Gurnee and Six Flags Corporate, in NY last week. We are also trying to get the media involved, but not having much luck. Our plan is to give Six Flags 30 days to respond, and then move forward, if necessary. We are asking for simply an apology, and a change in policy. We have also filed a complaint with the ADA. So, now we wait!

 Other than this unfortunate incident, we are having a great summer! We have an exchange student here from Japan, named Ippei! We have taken him to the Gateway Arch (got stuck at the top for 2 hours!!!), and last weekend we spent the day at the Illinois State Fair! Everyone's health is good, and all are thriving! What more can I ask for??! Our friends will be traveling soon, to bring Ru home from China, which thrills my soul! And my sweet little grandson, Landon, is just the most absolutely adorable, precious little peanut ever born into this world!!! LOL God bless you all!

What God can do through CUPCAKES! :)

I have been really busy this week. Mostly busy doing a "Happy Dance". You see, as of yesterday, unless something crazy happens, our adoption is FULLY FUNDED. Let me repeat....FULLY FUNDED! You need to know how incredible this is. Our estimated maximum adoption costs for Brittany, Brianna, and Brian were set at $24,000. This was in February. Today is June 26, and we are FULLY FUNDED. We have NEVER paid an adoption off before we finalized. This is the 2nd most expensive adoption we have ever done. I am just in AWE of God, and also reveling in his confirmation that this adoption is RIGHT, and is from HIM! He is moving mountains to make this happen for us! Praise His holy name! Now let me back up. Aprill F, my dear friend, happens to own a small bakery. Months ago she came to me with an idea to sell cupcakes as a fundraiser. I have to be honest. I did not expect much, but I was certainly willing to give it a try. We sold over 200 dozen cupcakes, through Facebook, in a little over a week! And on top of that, God's people were AMAZINGLY generous! We have received SO many financial gifts that it is both overwhelming and extremely humbling! I am SO proud of God's people, for understanding that caring for "the least of these" is all of our job, not just a select few. This adoption would be a tremendous strain on our already strained budget, without the help of you all! So, thank you, anonymous donor, who gave above and beyond! Thank you M & M, thank you Tammy, and Kelli, and Matthew and family. Thank you to those of you who we did not even know, but you still stepped up, and bought those crazy cupcakes! Thank you Aprill, for baking your little heart out! And thank you to ALL of you who gave what you could, to give Brittany, Brianna, and Brian stability and a home. And for giving us the blessing of being parents to some awesome kids. We love you all! God bless! Ann

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families. Psalms 68:5-6

PS One more thing....NOW LET"S GET RU HOME! http://lovetakesheart.wordpress.com/do-good-t-shirts/

Some new photos of my sweeties!

Hello! Just a quick update to let you know we are all doing amazing! The kids have settled in SO well. Having 10 kids at home is not as hard as I thought it would be! LOL It gets a little easier each day. Having a busy summer so far...here are some highlights: We had the awesome opportunity to go on Toby's MAKE-A-WISH trip to the Mall of America last month, and it was absolutely wonderful! Closer to home, we have been working on finishing some school, building a small deck off the back of the house, and working in the garden. We had two calves and 22 lambs born this spring, so it has been fun watching them grow and thrive! Our first grandchild, Landon, is doing well, and growing like crazy! He is the happiest, cutest little guy ever, but we don't see him often enough! They need to move closer! We are slowly chipping away at our new adoption expenses. We are right in the middle of a CUPCAKE fundraiser, and it is going very well! We have sold almost a 100 dozen at this point! Thanks to all of you who contributed! Will update more soon! It is harder and harder to find free time!!! :) God bless!