Christmas Joy

Celebrating our Savior's Birth the past 48 hours has been pure JOY! A perk of adopting an older child during the busy holiday season? Sharing God's gift of His son with another and experiencing Christmas through a new pair of eyes.
What fun it was to roll the dough for our Christmas Eve pizza and decorate it with a 'J' for Jesus rather than an 'M' for Molly. Thanks for the new idea sweet girl. What joy it was to Skype with our friends in China and wish them a Merry Christmas from half way around the world. What fun to sit in the balcony at church so Molly could see all that was happening down below. What joy to read Luke 2 in English and then in Chinese while eating peppermint ice cream under the tree. What fun to have 5 stockings filled and 5 piles of gifts to open on Christmas morning. What joy to have rice and chili sauce on our table for Christmas dinner. Thank you, Molly, for the new eyes this Christmas celebrating Jesus' Birthday.

Mary's House

This week at school Molly made a gingerbread house. She worked so hard to decorate it perfectly, all the while telling her classmates about the 3 kings coming to visit Jesus in the 'house'. She told them she had created 'Mary's House'. Then, a sweet little girl in class said "and my house can be Joseph's!" We love our Molly's Jesus Heart!

Paw Paw

friends+family+cold weather+hotdogs+campfire+Christmas music+cozy blankets+s'mores=
lots of Friday night FUN!

Home

Taking Mei Mei to basketball the other night a sweet voice from the backseat said:
"I love my home!"
Our Molly is just the cutest!!

Buying Stock

A new favorite.
Mix 2 favorite foods, add some chili sauce, and voila you have made the best meal ever.



I have never bought a 5 pound bag of rice nor cooked so much bacon in my life. I am off to buy stock!

Tears of Joy

Christmas lights up.
Tree picked out.
Tree decorated.
Decorations out.
Christmas music on.
Shopping started.
I love Christmas and I especially love the reason for Christmas.
But this year? Preparing for our Savior's Birthday has really filled me up with God's love! I found myself holding back tears of joy this weekend as Molly shared with her family, our family, who is so lucky to have her forever, the joy of preparing for Jesus! She loved the decorations and wanted a gold angel placed on the back of her wheelchair, tears of joy. She beamed and clapped through the Christmas music at church, tears of joy. She investigated the lit church on our piano and asked what the English word for cross is, and then explained to me about Jesus on the cross in her one word English and pantomime, tears of joy. She sang Silent Night in a beautiful voice, tears of joy. She chose angel ornaments for her friends at the House of Love, tears of joy for her caring heart.
Yes, Christmas this year with our new family of seven will be pure Joy!

YAY!

All morning we anxiously awaited snow...no snow!
All afternoon we anxiously awaited snow...no snow!
All during dinner we talked about snow...maybe a snow day???
but...no snow!
Finally, at the perfect time...God sent snow.
BEDTIME! What a way to procrastinate.
3 girls begging to go outside. What is a mama to do but bundle them up and take them out!
Molly's first SNOW!
Her first words...YAY!!!!!!