4U Ruthie

My Star Student

2012-02-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

Sam was chosen to be the Star Student in his class last week. This might sound like a normal routine Kindergarten experience for most of us, but for this kid, this was the event of the year. He has been dying to be the Star Student. Every Monday he would come home and tell me who his teacher picked that week and how sad he was that it wasn't him.

Then on Monday he climbed into the car with a "guess what mom!" Our conversation went something like this.
Me- So how is being the Star Student?
Sam- I think everyone in my class was pleased with how I did.
Me- What was your favorite part?
Sam- Being line leader was fun but it was hard knowing when she wanted me to stop.

Sam's teacher told me the next day that when she announced him being Star Student that he stood up and said, "I am really excited but I can't help but think of my classmates who still haven't gotten a chance to be the Star Student."

And to finish up his exciting week, he got to bring home the class alligator for the weekend. Oh how I love that little guy and how he takes in every ounce of every experience.

So There is This House...

2012-02-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

...And I REALLY like it.

It just fits my family so well. We have gone to see it several times and decided that it is such good fit that we put ours on the market today to see if we can sell it quick enough to get this other one. Yesterday when Trent and I were leaving the ~~dream home~~ home we want, we prayed a very specific prayer that our home would sell this week so we could make an offer on this other one and either rent back from our buyers while Jack recovered from surgery in late March or close quick enough to move in the week before his surgery so he could recover in his new room.

Yes I know this is big and I have real faith that God can do this. Why? Because I have seen Him do it before. This is the 3rd house that we have sold and each time God has answered very specific timing needs.

It occurred to me later that I have more faith for God to sell our house quickly in a down market than I do for Him to heal my son. Why is that? I think the first is obvious and it is because I have seen Him do it. The 2nd though is more interesting. I was talking to my friend Julie about this and she made the point that our self-sufficiency in modern day America makes us depend less on God for miracles of healing and so we see it less. If you go to other countries where they don't have our health care, you see God heal all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for our health care, but it makes me sad that my self-sufficiency has put me in a category like Jesus' parable where he said (Matt 19:24) "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." I don't think Jesus is saying here that if you have money you won't go to heaven. I think what He is illustrating for us is that our wealth and ability to meet our own needs make us less dependent on God and thus less likely to seek Him. If we don't seek Him, we can't know Him.

I wonder what other areas my comfort and self-sufficiency have kept me from experiencing the goodness and greatness of God? Food for thought.

My Fancy Nancy

2012-02-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

We are waiting on some tests and test results for Jack and honestly I am going a bit stir crazy. Today I took that nervous energy and set up a fun photo shoot with Ruthie.

Lately Ruthie has been watching me do my make up and she asks, "what's that?" When I ask her if she wants me to put some lipstick on her, she giggles and runs out of the room.

So I took some lip gloss along and let her play

I mean what little girl doesn't like to dress up all fancy, put on lip gloss, and look at herself in the mirror?

That's my fancy girl.

Painting Rainbows

2012-02-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

For the 1st stage of Ruthie's therapy to learn how to use her new elbow flexors, we are working on gravity eliminated flexion. The OT told us to run a toy car back and forth for 15 minutes 4x a day.

Well that got old real quick so we started rolling play dough balls and then that got old too.

So this week we are painting rainbows. She is working super hard and making great progress.

So proud of my girl.

Wordless Wednesday: Quick trip to San Francisco

2012-01-31T15:21:00.000-08:00

Sunday Snapshot- Chinese New Year

2012-01-28T18:13:00.000-08:00

We are getting better at celebrating Chinese New Year, especially when you consider where we started.

The first year after we brought Ruthie home, a friend of mine from China walked up to me at church and said, "Happy New Year." I couldn't figure out for the life of me why she would wish me happy new year 3 weeks into January. Then I went home, opened my Facebook, and figured out that I was way behind.

Last year, we visited the Forbidden Gardens in Katy which I thought was a great way to celebrate.

So this year I started seeing early all the great plans and creative ideas of the other adoptive families. You guys are really impressive. I am not to the point of baking cakes to look like dragons yet, but I did take red envelopes with chocolate gold coins in them to the kid's classes and talk a little about the holiday.

Next years goal, learn to make dumplings so we can prepare our own dinner instead of going with Chinese take out.

I Can't Stay Mad At That Kid

2012-01-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

I was up at the school yesterday frustratingly looking for Sam's lost library book.

As I was walking down the hall I saw the Kindergarten wall and this:

Well, I guess I can forgive the lost library book . This time.

Dents and Stains

2012-01-24T18:44:00.000-08:00

I was watching Cars 2 the other night with the fam and I left pondering the story line where Tow Mater intentionally did not fix his dents because they represented a memory. I went to bed thinking on that and it's implications to my own life, both good and bad.

The next morning I was visiting with a dear friend about a topic the had nothing to do with Mater and she out of the blue shared an interaction from her previous evening where a pastor referred to a relationship of his as one that left him stained all over. I hung up and pondered the similarities between the two pictures and their timing. Historically, when God opens my eyes to the same message (theme) several times in a short period I know that He is trying to teach me something. It is just one way he gets my attention and speaks to me. Sharing it hear is one way I process it and hopefully encourage others along the way.

I will start with the dents.

I wrecked my car at the beginning of the school year and let me be real honest, I couldn't get that bumper fixed fast enough. It wasn't that I was too cool to drive a car with a dented bumper. Instead it was that I didn't want people to know that I was too stupid to not see the car behind me when I was backing up. I needed to fix my dent in order to cover up my weakness.

In life we are the same way. We cover up the dents of our bad choices and personal struggles in hopes that others won't see that we aren't perfect or that our imperfections are larger than your run of the mill door dings. I find it interesting that the Bible instructs us to do just the opposite.

2 Cor 11:30- If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness
2 Cor 12:9- But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

I am still not sure what all God wants me to see through this right now and I am pretty sure the lesson is not over. I have a hunch it has something to do with Jack and all that he is walking through. Watching my child lose his ability to walk is harder than I ever anticipated and watching him grieve is even more difficult. Our bedtime routine that was just a few months ago studying about countries around the world has turned into comforting him as he processes out loud that day's struggles. I fear the suggestions for treating him and I fear the consequences of not taking them.

Our home is not defined by physical and emotional strength these days. Nope there is a whole lot of weakness around here leaving all kinds of dents on our shiny exterior, but what we do have is Christ. With Christ in our sufferings, we have the ability to persevere. I keep telling Jack that our perseverance is developing character in him (through lots of decorative dents). And the Bible tells me that character will lead to hope and hope steers us away from shame (or the need to cover our dents).

Romans 5:3-5 But we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

So I think Mater is right. I too would rather hold onto the memories and lessons of my dents than drive around shiny and smooth, pretending to be something that I am not.

We will talk about stains soon.

Sunday Snapshot-Homemade Valentines

2012-01-21T19:01:00.000-08:00

I Heart Faces had a post this week on Valentines. There was this super cute picture of a child making kissing faces and the mom had used it to close a bag holding Hershey's kisses. I liked the idea and decided to take pics of the kiddos for a similar Valentine that would feature all my kids.

I wasn't sure if we would do Hershey's hugs or Hershey's kisses or both so we just went for it.

And settled on a combination pose.

Prior to seeing the post on I Heart faces, my idea was to do this next shot and attach a piece of candy to it.

But Jack wasn't thrilled with the idea of having his friends see him with the word "love" on the bottom of his feet and it didn't convince him when I told him we could do "be mine" instead. :) So we settled on the shot where you couldn't see their heads. It is all about the feet anyway. Right?

Alright so the final product looks like this. I will fold it over a treat bag filled with Hershey's hugs and kisses and send them to school with the kids. I will be sure and post a pic in a few weeks of the finished product.

Jack's Gait Lab

2012-01-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

Jack spent 3 hours today in a gait lab at Shriners Hospital for children. They studied his gait biomechanics, muscle function, foot placements, functional joint mobility, and even metabolic output. It really was very impressive.

We are trying to decide what is going to be the best treatment option for him.

And it is supposed to take several weeks to get all of the results.

Today I am super thankful for the people at Shriners and their commitment to helping my boy be more functional.

Prayers For Wisdom

2012-01-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

I believe I've mentioned this before, but God tends to work with me in themes. There are major theme lessons that can last years and then there seem to be mini-themes wrapped up in there that he shows me in the everyday. The major themes tend to revolve around His character. For example, for the first several years of my marriage, God revealed himself to us consistently as provider. When we first moved here and were waiting on Ruthie, God revealed himself as my source of peace. And now he is revealing himself as my source of wisdom.

There are several places I am seeking wisdom (thus the theme). I have a mission trip I am praying about. Trent and I are preparing a series of talks for a marriage conference in a few weeks. I am trying to discern what is the right work/family balance for me with PT and photography. But most importantly we are seeking wisdom for Jack.

I haven't shared much of this hear lately because I don't want to violate Jack's privacy as he is a pretty private kiddo. I also don't want to draw attention to myself through my kids struggles because not only does that make it about me and not what God is allowing us to walk through but it also leads me to finding my identity in my children's struggles and I don't want to do that either. I do want to live honestly though and I know many of you love Jack and want to know what is going on and I don't want to keep that from you.

So here is the short and sweet and some ways you can being praying for us and my little guy. This fall Jack had a pretty significant exacerbation of his leg symptoms. He has been doing pretty well for the last year since his back surgery but then things started to change. I took him to a pediatric orthopedist who said that his legs are developing rotated and he recommended some pretty dramatic procedures. I have gotten one 2nd opinion and I we will be seeing a 3rd doctor on Wednesday for another opinion. He has a gait study on Thursday and an MRI very soon. We need to make a decision on how to best help this child now and in the long run. The hardest part is that he is really starting to grieve his condition.

Could you pray that we will make the best decision for him and that we will have a real peace about the correct choices. Please also pray for his heart that he will embrace his blessings and see his struggles as an opportunity for God to develop his character. And please pray that we could adequately balance our roles as comforter, motivator, and teacher.

Thank you.

Sunday Snapshot- Pinwheel Fun

2012-01-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

Ruthie gets her cast off this week.

I am both anxiously excited and nervous to see what function she gains from this procedure.

Will she be able to bend her elbow to be independent with those handful of tasks she still needs help with now?

I decided to take these pictures with the pinwheel because it is the source of a really funny memory from this experience.

Right before they took Ruthie into surgery, they gave her "happy juice" and handed her this pinwheel.

Watching my daughter "drunk" and giggling at the colors of the spinning wheel made me wonder what kind of hippy she might have been. :)

I would imagine that the experience must have felt somewhat like sitting inside of a kaleidoscope.

Well now she still loves the pinwheel and we joke that she must be trying to re-create her pre-op ride.

Oh Ruthie, with all your spunk, determination, and sense of adventure, I can't wait to see who you turn out to be and what you manage to conquer.

Marshmallow Wars

2012-01-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

We have great friends.

One friend gave the kids the components to make marshmallow guns.

And another gave Ruthie this completely adorable hat!

Combine the two and we have great and very cute fun.

Watch out people. They are armed and dangerous.

2011 Best Face Photo

2012-01-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

I Heart Faces is having a best face photo contest this week and I immediately thought of this one. Ruthie and I were playing in The Heights when we found this wall and she decided to imitate this frog for a moment. That's my silly girl.

Ruthie's New Bed

2012-01-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

For Ruthie's 5th birthday, I wanted to get her a new bed and move her out of the toddler bed she has been sleeping in since she came home. I decided it would be really neat if we could buy her a playhouse bed. Well Trent got to looking on line and decided that the prices were as neat as the idea and then he decided that he could build one himself.

It didn't hurt when I showed him a website where a woman (ana-white.com) had built a playhouse bed by herself.

Trent worked hard for over a month and turned our garage into a carpenter's workshop. The boys even helped him with measuring and using the nail gun and my job was painting.

The original bed did not have a slide with it, but Trent made the mistake of mentioning a slide to Ruthie and there was no turning back.

We finished just in time for her birthday and I think it turned out perfect.

Trent may even have a new hobby. When he finished the bed, he made 3 step stools for the kids and 2 benches for me.

Ruthie also loves her new reading corner.

Gotta go play now!

Funny Things My Kids Say in 2012

2012-01-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

Sam- I want a bb gun to go hunting

Me- Why do you want to kill innocent little animals?

Sam- I don't want to kill the little ones mom. I want to sneak up on a BEAR.

Quick Trip to T-town

2011-12-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

I like to make a Christmas trip home to Texarkana each year if I can. I missed last year because of the White Christmas event so I really wanted to go this year.

There is just something incredible about going home to tall trees, land, and familiar spaces.

And the kids always have a blast doing things that you can't do in the city.

Unfortunately Trent had something come up at work and couldn't go at the last minute. Jack decided to stay home with him for special bonding time. So the little ones and I packed up for a quick trip home.

Texarkana doesn't have all the museums, zoos, and theme parks that you find here in Houston.

But that is okay because there we still have fun the old fashioned way and we eat at restaurants that have been around for 50 years where the owner knows your name.

And where else can you put one foot in Texas and one foot in Arkansas at the same time?

Good old fashioned fun.

Snow Again in Houston

2011-12-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas morning. The kids were super cute opening their presents and playing with their new things.

Ruthie who is now into hats was super excited about her new red one.

I have to say though that there were multiple times over the weekend when we looked at each other and pondered what we were doing at this time one year ago when we won the Guaranteed White Christmas contest with The Weather Channel.

I couldn't cover our yard with snow this year, but I did find a can of instant snow that we could make in a bowl at the kitchen table.

Dad helped Ruthie make a miniature snowman.

Sam managed to get a lot of his snow onto the floor.

I turned down their request for a snow ball fight but did let them throw snow balls into a bowl.

It wasn't near the same but it was the best we could do this year.

Who Needs Electronics...?

2011-12-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

...when you have a good old fashioned jump rope.

Some very dear friends watched the boys while Trent and I took Ruthie to have elbow surgery this week.

They broke out the jump rope while we were there and apparently continued it long after we left.

These are their sweet girls who are incredible with my kids.

Ruthie's Birthday Party

2011-12-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

Ruthie's birthday is in 2 weeks but I decided to have her party early so we could have a Christmas theme. Also, she is in surgery today (wednesday) so I wasn't real sure what she was going to feel up to around her birthday.

So I decorated the house

And somehow managed to make the ugliest cakes in a jar you have ever seen. They were really cute on Pinterest but not when I tried to copy it.

Even Ruthie wasn't quite sure what to think when she saw it.

Santa came!

And the girls blessed our neighbors with carols.

Best of all, we had lots of great friends attend and some even stayed after for some extra special time.

My Christmas Card Explained

2011-12-14T09:04:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that I need to explain my Christmas card. Let me just start by saying that we are not adopting again right now and I am not pregnant. Most of you know that I would love to adopt again as soon as I feel like I am capable but this is not about that.

Trent and I discussed not even doing a Christmas card because it is not like you guys don't see pictures of my children, but then we thought that might be unacceptable for the pastor and the photographer. So I decided if we were going to do one, it needed to reflect what God has been showing us this year.

We have traveled all over the world since last Christmas, we have had some things that we thought would go one way then go another, and we have continued to struggle with the daily challenges of raising 2 kids with special needs. Through all that we have seen and walked through this year, the message that repeatedly comes back to us is that we are abundantly blessed.

So no we are not trying to make an announcement of a growing family but instead sharing the news of growing faith in the one who saved us and orders our days. It is a message of perspective and blessing. It is the lens through which we choose to view the world and our own lives. We are counting our blessings.

Week in Review

2011-12-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again where weeks are so busy that I can't possibly blog about it all without combining moments.

The first of the week was pretty darn wet and cold so Ruthie and I stayed indoors and turned my dining room into a studio to play with an idea I had.

Papa Henderson and Grandi came over for their Christmas celebration with the kids.

Jack was excited to get his one request this Christmas- dry erase markers. You would think having a kid who doesn't ask for anything would be great but he is actually very hard to shop for.

Both boys had Polar Express Day at school and Kindergarten had their Christmas Feast.

Oh and Ruthie had her Happy Birthday Jesus performance at school. She was precious of course.

Ah deep breath before it all starts back up tomorrow- church wide Christmas party, jury duty, 3 school Christmas parties, photo sessions, and one Christmas Tea for a precious little girl getting ready to turn 5! I can't believe it.

Sometime You Just Have to Laugh

2011-12-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Sunday was an interesting day for us and especially for my Trent. The first Sunday of every month, we have lunch at the church. So this week was First Sunday Lunch and as things were beginning to wrap up, the hilarity began. Trent stepped on stage to take care of something and then it happened. His pants split. He managed to step off and escape without anyone noticing. Almost safe to his office he was stopped by a church member who wanted to visit so my quick on his feet husband said, "let's go to my office so we can sit down." He then texted me that he needed help. I interrupted the meeting and Trent informed me of his woes. We laughed for a minute and then made a plan for him to escape to the car while I went back to the auditorium to gather his things.

We stepped out of his office and some new members walked by and commented on how he had already untucked his shirt. My husband quick again said, "Oh yes I am just ready to get home."

On the way back from the the auditorium, I was stopped by another set of friends who needed to visit with my husband over matters that couldn't wait. So I walked them to his car (in the rain) so they could visit. I am sure they wondered why he didn't just get up and come back inside.

So here are my husbands split pants from Sunday. God does have a sense of humor and we have laughed much with him all week over this.

He told me later that he bought those pants for our engagement party in 1997! I'd say he got his moneys worth.

Getting Real Honest- Is it the Kid or the Idea of them?

2011-12-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

I was just having this conversation with my neighbor and figured it was time to go ahead and think out loud here. Who knows, maybe you will have some thoughts to share on this topic too. I would love to hear them.

THE BACK STORY

So every time I think back lately on my time in China with Bring Me Hope, I get this icky feeling inside of me that I haven't been able to shake. When I get feelings like that, they usually come from God because He has something He wants me to learn. So I have been asking myself all kinds of questions and wondering if I am supposed to go back or what. Then it came to me the other day. I think I made a big mistake in China and did those 2 precious children a disservice. I think I was so wrapped up in the idea of blessing them, buying things for them, and entertaining them that I failed to make a significant enough heart connection with them. Truthfully I think I guarded my heart from that because I knew our time together was so limited.

THE APPLICATION HERE

So as I was coming to the realization of that, the bigger question hit me. Do I do the same thing with my kids here? Am I more focused on the idea of them then I am on their hearts?

Let's get real truthful here. I think when I get busy, I get more enjoyment out of shopping for clothes with ruffles than I do playing dolls with Ruthie and connecting with her closely. And to keep keeping it honest, I have been known to get more enjoyment out of telling someone how good of a reader Sam is than I have sitting down and listening to him read. And Jack? Well let's just say that watching him sleep is sometimes a lot more fun than parenting his heart and helping him with the things he is struggling with right now.

YES I am that ~~crappy~~ sorry of a mother sometimes. THANK GOD it is not like that all the time. Really it is when I get busy and don't make the effort to connect with their hearts because truthfully (just like in China) that doesn't happen automatically and it doesn't happen just because you are in the same room.

The other time that it happens is when I let the world define for me what is significant. Just like my sweet girls at camp in China didn't see me and say "oh yes someone to buy me stuff", Ruthie didn't come to our home and rejoice that she could finally wear ruffles. So why do I find significance in the insignificant? It is as ridiculous as it sounds.

I don't think I am the only one guilty of this. I look around me and see children being raised (as 8 year olds) to play a position on the high school football team but yet rarely sitting down with their family for dinner. Isn't that the same thing? I think it is a problem for a lot of us and unless we slow down and let God define our priorities, we may all look back one day and have the same icky feeling I have when remembering my time at Bring Me Hope.

My Spelling Bee Boy

2011-12-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

If you have ever had a kid with physical special needs, you know how it feels when they find something they can compete and succeed in. Jack came home a month or so ago and told me that he wanted to try out for the spelling bee. So we studied the words and he took the test. I have to say that was a pretty nervous day because he really doesn't have anything he competes in so I wanted him to succeed and not get burned. Well he made it and we traded in the list of 50 words for the new list of 400.

On Friday, he competed against other 3rd graders and 4th and 5th graders. I think I was more nervous than he was.

He made it through the 3rd round which was frankly further than I would have made it. :)

I am proud of him for stepping out there, studying hard, and doing his best. Way to go Jack!

The Gaylord Texan Ice Show

2011-12-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

After visiting Great Wolf Lodge, we decided to go over and spend a few hours at the Gaylord Texan. Every year they bring in ice sculptors from China to create an ice exhibit. This year the theme was Shrek.

There are not a lot of places where you can swim on Friday and then cross the street and walk through a 15 degree ice exhibit on Saturday.

The exhibit ended with an ice sculpture of the nativity. So cool.

The Gaylord is beautiful so of course I had to snap a few pics with their Christmas decorations.

By the end, Ruthie was not interested in having her picture taken anymore.

So I told her to just show me how she really felt.

I Heart Faces- Bust A Gut

2011-11-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

I came across this photo contest today and immediately thought of this picture of Gua Er Gua from Bring Me Hope Camp in Xian, China. Gua Er Gua will be Joy very soon when she meets her waiting family.

Swimming in November

2011-11-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Hey dad, don't forget to scroll down because I am actually blogging 2 days in a row. :)

Great Wolf is known primarily for its indoor water park.

It was incredibly entertaining and at points, frightening.

Since I couldn't carry my camera on a water slide, I snapped a few here.

It was a lot harder than it looks. I told Trent I am pretty sure I broke up all the scar tissue in my body with my effort to cross.

Sam crossed 11 times, and Jack was relieved with once.

Ruthie bounced her way across like a frog.

Fun Times!

Great Wolf Lodge

2011-11-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

We spent our Thanksgiving at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. We had heard great things about it from our friends and neighbors so we decided to check it out for ourselves.

It was really nice to have a few days off to just spend with my family.

One of the kid's favorite parts was a built in hotel adventure called MagiQuest. Basically, you purchase a wand that has a computer chip in it and it sends you on adventures through the resort. It is quite impressive. Sam wouldn't let us leave today until we earned all of our stones and killed the dragon.

A big bonus to spending Thanksgiving in Grapevine was that we got to spend it with my Aunt. She met us at the hotel for lunch. God bless that woman for enduring a Thanksgiving buffet with my kids.

Sam visited the dessert table with her and returned with not 1 but 2 cupcakes.

Great food. Great company. Great day.

Thanksgiving Round 2

2011-11-20T16:54:00.000-08:00

Sam also had a Thanksgiving party this week. While the moms were setting up, dad took a few minutes to read to the peanut.

Then it was time for the party to begin.

We decorated Sam's vest last week to be Super Sam the Indian.

Always the clown.

Here is his Kindergarten class thankful list. Do you see the one in the middle? The one with S.H beside it for Sam Henderson? I am so thankful that my boy is thankful for his God.

Thanksgiving Round 1

2011-11-18T20:46:00.000-08:00

A week ago I was having trouble making the mental shift from Halloween to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Well 3 Thanksgiving feasts and a trip to Toys R Us later and I am re-oriented and in the spirit now.

On Thursday we had Thanksgiving Feasts for Jack and Ruthie. Sam's was today and I will post those pics later because truthfully they are still in my camera and I am too lazy to process them right now. :)

We are thankful for you too sweet girl. We are thankful for you too.

Catching Up- Soccer, Surgery, and Ruffles

2011-11-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

Oh I know I have been a very bad blogger. I am in the middle of my 2nd Christmas photography season and I am pretty sure I have developed a love hate relationship with my photography business right now.

So let me catch you up first on miss Ruthie.

She had her last soccer game of the season last week. On the way to the car she asked me when we could play again. It looks like this might be her thing for now.

On a health note, she had an MRI last week that showed she has a really good tricep and nothing for her bicep. I have always thought that she had a small part of her bicep and had hoped that we could build that enough to allow her to function better. She is undoubtably functioning more independently but the MRI revealed that it is all through compensation.

So we have decided go through with the tricep tendon transfer. She will have surgery on Dec. 21st to move one of the heads for her tricep around to make a bicep. This will help her do things like brush her own teeth, fix her hair, and dress herself.

Okay and to wrap this up, I have a confession. I have fallen in love with ruffles on little girl clothes. I think I have always liked ruffles but didn't realize how much until I saw a friend's little girl in the cutest ruffly dress from Persnickety. So now I am on a hunt for ruffles. Big 'ole Texas sized ruffles.

Well that is about it.

Oh and these last few pics were taken with me swinging Ruthie while I had my camera around me neck. I think next time I will slow my shutter speed more to see if I can catch more of the movement of the background. It may be a while though because I nearly lost my lunch with all of that spinning the first time. :)

2 Levels of Gratitude

2011-11-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

Let me start this out by saying I was SOOOOO frustrated with my kids this weekend. At first, I thought it was all their fault and then, as the weekend went on, I realized that God was opening my eyes to a valuable parenting lesson. Basically, it all revolved around a lack of gratitude and a lot of whining about things that they should not have been whining about like picking up after themselves or helping me with their school assignments.

So I vented about how ungrateful they were and marched off to my room to come up with a plan to make them into grateful people now! My first instinct is always to blame our environment. How can you be grateful for what you have when your surrounded by a community of abundance? But then it hit me. I have already been addressing all of that. I let them pay for anything they really want that I don't deem necessary. They don't even know what designer clothes are except when they are hand-me-downs and even then they don't know the difference. They don't own an i-anything or a DS. Seriously my kids really don't have near the stuff as their peers. And then it hit me again. I am missing an entire side of gratitude.

My kids are incredibly grateful for what people give them. I think we are doing well there. However, they aren't as grateful for what others do for them. I have been working so hard to teach them the value of material goods that I have missed the value of self-sacrifice and service. Does that make sense? Basically, I am raising little people who think that if they spread it out on the floor that mom will be glad to come behind them and pick it up and that is how it should be. So without shocking their little systems, I think it is time for some change around here. I would love to hear how you break up household responsibilities. I am a mom on a new mission to raise kids who value the service of others and naturally take responsibility for their own contribution. Any advice?

Intentional Missional Saving- Ugandan Beads

2011-11-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

When Trent and I were newlyweds, 10+ years ago, we were living in Waco and working with a college ministry there. One of our ministry partners shared with us the way he and his family intentionally approached giving. That story planted a seed in my heart.

Our friend set up a missions fund with his family and made his kids board members of that fund. When an opportunity to give would come there way, they would hold a family board meeting and discuss if that was the best use of the fund. This taught his children to plan to give and then to be prayerful and intentional about how they did that.

Fast forward 10+ years later and Trent and I now have 3 kids and the shared blessing of several mission and giving opportunities that we would love to participate in and would love to involve our children in but have been struck by the challenge of how to be financially prepared for those and how to best involve the kids. So we are going to start our own mission fund and let our kids participate in raising money for that and in distributing that as we feel led. My prayer is that it will teach my children to make giving a regular part of their budget and that when mission opportunities come our way that our first question will not be if we can afford it but instead if it is the best use of our mission fund.

I am kicking off the mission fund with the sell of Ugandan bead necklaces that were made by an orphanage worker in Uganda named Agnes. They were purchased by a friend while on mission trip there and returning to Uganda with her is one of my first desires with this fund.

I grouped the necklaces by similarities and named them after children whose lives and families have inspired me.

If you would like to purchase a necklace, you can email me your order at Ginnyhenderson@hotmail.com. I will then send you a paypal invoice.
The necklaces are $20 each.

This group has an abundance of blue and turquoise beads. It is named after a sweet child who met her forever family a few months before we got Ruthie. Karleigh Mei's mom continually challenges me to set my desire for comfort aside and ask the question of how I can live a life that makes a difference. You can see her at :

http://karleighmei.blogspot.com/

This grouping has more pink beads. It is named after a precious child who came home right before Ruthie. Her mom and I suffered through the wait together and rejoiced with each other on our gotcha days. Lydia's family is adopting again! You can follow along at:

http://lydiahope.blogspot.com/

I named this set after Ruthie because it contains more reds and richer colors which are Ruthie's favorites.

This group contains more white beads. Do you remember Gua Gua from Bring Me Hope camp? Well her new name will be Joy and you can follow her family's journey to bring her home at:
http://www.ladybugsandfrogs.blogspot.com/

THANKS!

My weatherman, ninja, and Elmo

2011-11-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from our Halloween that started with a book character parade at school and ended with a church carnival. It took most of today for me to recover. :)

My Dalmatian

2011-10-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

Every year the church preschool puts on a Noah's Ark program and the kids get to dress like animals and sing. Ruthie's favorite book right now is 101 Dalmatians so dressing as a Dalmatian made perfect sense and my friend Paige just happened to have the costume. Thanks Paige.

What I didn't anticipate was that Ruthie would love the costume so much, she wore it for 2 days straight.

AWANA Bible Character Night

2011-10-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

This week at AWANA was dress like your favorite Bible character night. My hubby had the great idea of making the kids the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. My sweet friend Holly was kind enough to take a picture for me since I was at work.

God's Will, Your Will, and God's Best?

2011-10-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a situation (or seen one) where you have a choice or scenario in front of you, everything feels right, you determine that it must be God's will, and then it doesn't turn out at all like you expected? So then what?

Well then one of three things are true:
1. God isn't really who He says He is
2. Sin or humanness entered the situation
3. We got it wrong and it really wasn't God's will

So let me tackle these in order. I think #1 is where most of us go immediately. We question who God is. Is He really involved in our lives? Does He really care what happens to us? If we are Christians, this can be a time of searching and better defining our faith and we can actually walk out of this situation stronger than we were to begin with. If we aren't believers or don't have a good understanding of God's truth to go back to, this can end poorly. Hear me on something else related to this: if we as believers boast in our perception of God's will for our circumstances and then they don't turn out, this gives the watching world something to deny our faith with. Take Mr. Harold Camping, the guy who has predicted, unpredicted, and repredicted the end of the world multiple times and been wrong each time. What does that look like to a watching world? We can actually hinder someone else's understanding of the existence of God by our mis-assignment of His will. Does that make sense?

I believe #2 - that sin entered the situation - is more common than we realize. I think we are scared to admit this possibility for two reasons. It suggests that we may be at fault and we don't like to admit our mistakes AND it suggests somehow that our choices can thwart God's will and we aren't comfortable with that. Let's remember though that one of the first stories in the Bible demonstrates this. It was God's will for man to live in the garden forever but Adam and Eve sinned and we are no longer in the garden. This is where one of my favorite verses comes in. Rom 8:28: And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purposes. God is not going to magically set things back to the way He initially willed them to be but He is going to redeem it for his purposes. That is a the core of who He is. He is a redemptive God.

Another example was when Moses was leading the Jews into the promised land. He desired for Moses to lead them all the way, but the Jews rebelled against God, refusing to enter into what God has promised. God still led the people of Israel into the promised land but not for 40 more years and not through Moses.

I think we also have to be careful to assigning God's will when a desired end comes out of our sin. Friends God does not need us to sin in order to accomplish His purposes and just because it is the desire of our heart does not mean that it is His will.

*For all who are worried that I think God's not in ultimate control, don't worry. I know God's ultimate purposes cannot be thwarted. But I'm talking about the part of God's will that we can understand and relate to.

Okay so now onto #3. There are lots of books on the topic of discovering God's will and they have some great recommendations like know His word, pray, and seek wise counsel. But let's face it sometimes we can do all of those things and still get it wrong. One reason I think we get it wrong is because we have become to casual with the use of the phrase "God's will". It feels to me like we use this label like a stamp of approval that we give to our own situation in the name of God. I had a friend once who had it in her mind that she was going to have 3 children of the same gender and then went on to give the credit to God for that vision. Well she had 2 kids of the same gender but # 3 was not. Is God still who He says He is? Yes. Did sin change the gender of her 3rd child? No. Did she have a desire that she wrongly applied the stamp of God's will too? Yep. Every seemingly good and comfortable idea is not necessarily God's will.

So as I wrap this thought up I can give you a recent example of how I walked this out in my life. There is a house in my neighborhood that I have been watching for 4 years. I love this house. I love the yard, the layout, the front elevation, and the location. I love this house. It came on the market 2 weeks ago. After standing in the backyard twice in the same day, I figured out that with the added money I am making through photography that I could make the difference in this house payment. So then it must be God's will right? That house feels right. I technically have the money to pay for it. It makes me happy, the timing is great, blah blah blah! I could whip out my God's will stamp in a heartbeat and justify myself right into a great new house. But let's get back to reality and ask an easier question to sort out. IS IT GOD'S BEST? Well if I used my photography money for the house then I wouldn't be giving it to all the mission opportunities that I love supporting. If we moved we would be leaving the community that God has given us where we live now. Oh and if I used that extra money to make the house payment I also would never have the option to step away to spend more time with my primary calling of my family. So is it God's best? Nope not at all.

So I think I am going to give God His will back and let Him place his stamp on the big things and I am going to start asking the daily and less theological question of, "What is God's best?"

Family Outing- Dewberry Farms

2011-10-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we left right after church and headed to Katy for an afternoon at Dewberry Farms.

It is basically a farm that is set up during this time of year to be an adventure park.

Take away the heat, and it was a great time enjoying the attractions, seeing the animals. and just exploring the farm.

And my kids were kind enough to let me snap a few pictures along the way.

Not My Normal Thought Pattern

2011-10-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

I had 2 conversations and an object lesson along a similar topic yesterday that got me thinking. My instinct as a mom is to protect and shelter my children. I consider things like homeschooling for all the wrong reasons. I don't feel called to it but I do want to protect my kids from those "other children" who might do them harm.

I was talking to a friend yesterday about how I have to allow my kids to experience life outside my protection and be exposed to electronics, the internet, "those other kids", and all the things that I wish weren't a part of their life but must be if they are going to function some day as successful adults. A few hours later I was working with Jack on a pumpkin project that he was dreading. The boy hates homework and even if it is decorating a pumpkin, he is going to fight it. What should have been an enjoyable time together turned into me (God forbid) making him decorate a pumpkin while I lectured him about his attitude.

An hour or so later I was venting to a friend and mentor about my frustrations from the pumpkin project and she said something that made me think. She suggested that maybe I should have just let him do it and if he didn't that I should let him fail. Can I just go ahead and confess that my first thought was, "but then what would his teacher think of ME?" Yes I am that bad.

But she has a great point. In the same way that my instinct is to protect my child from all of the outside influences that might hurt him, do I also protect him from some very important lessons like failure? She made another good point that it is better for him to fail now then to learn that lesson in high school when it goes on a transcript.

So as I think of this more, I actually think I am going to look now for opportunities to let my kids fail. I know that is SO NOT MY NORMAL THOUGHT PATTERN, but I think it is good. You see I am not just going to let them fail, but I am also going to be armed and ready to use that time to teach them about things like humility and how to recover well so when they fail again and I am not around, they will (Lord willing) have what it takes to survive and be stronger on the other side. Okay friends are you with me? Let's go help our kids fail and fail well! :)

Kindergarten Musical

2011-10-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

Sam had Kindergarten Musical this week and like his musicals in preschool, he did not fail to entertain. You have to forgive the picture quality. I was sitting far back and then had to crop in too.

You might remember from performances past that Sam has a tendency to go nose diving in the middle of the show. Well nothing has changed.

There was one new thing this time and it was the "this is painful" hand over his face. He clarified afterwards that he thought the kids were singing too loud. I love that kid.

Thanks For Praying

2011-10-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone who prayed for our visit to Scottish Rite. Her surgeon ordered an MRI which will be done next month. This will give us a better idea of what they have to work with. I think it will be very helpful for me also just to know what muscle she has and doesn't have. Again I really appreciate your prayers and I will let you know what we find out next month.

A Prayer Request

2011-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

This week I will be traveling to Dallas to take Ruthie to see her Orthopedic surgeon at Scottish Rite. About 9 months ago they suggested that we consider a procedure to increase her ability to use her elbows. I didn't have a peace about another operation so I have put the decision off while I wait to feel right about it. In this surgery they would transfer a part of her tricep tendon around to assist her bicep. It would leave a good sized scar, be very painful, and would most likely prevent her from achieving full elbow extension again. It should however increase her independence and function.

Would you pray that when I see her Dr. that I would get all of my questions answered and get a real peace about what our next step should be? I want to do the right thing for her and there are not a lot of people in the Arthrogryposis community who have had this procedure done. Please pray for direction and peace.

Thanks.

A Week of Reflection

2011-10-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

I have spent most of this week reflecting on how blessed I am to be a part of the communities I call family.

The adoptive community is amazing. They challenge me weekly to think outside of my desire to be comfortable and view the world from God's perspective.

My church community is one of the most supportive I have ever been a part of. They love and embrace my husbands leadership and support our family in numerous ways.

My neighborhood is filled with families at the same stage of life as us and they are a super safe and fun place to just hang out and enjoy family.

Finally my kids are part of an awesome school and I appreciate that more with Sam there this year as a Kindergartener.

This week they invited the Kindergarten parents to join P.E. . It was loads of fun balancing bean bags on our various body parts.

Sam takes in every ounce of life and I know so much more about his school now that I have been allowed to view it through his eyes and stories.

We are blessed to have our kids in such a great educational community and for all of the other communities we get to be a part of as well.

Happy Birthday Babe!

2011-10-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy 5 days (thus the bad blogging). My sister got married in Shreveport and then we returned just in time to celebrate the hubby's birthday. I will have wedding pictures later (after I edit all 500 that I have narrowed it down to) but for now, I do have some pictures from the b-day celebration.

Several of our friends met us at Rudy's to surprise my husband for a birthday celebration.

Good Times!

Donuts with Dad

2011-09-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

We had Donuts with Dad at school this week.

“Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.” -Anne Geddes

“Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!” -Lydia M. Child

“It is a wise father who knows his own child.” -William Shakespeare

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” -Jim Valvano

“He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”
-Clarence Budington Kelland

Practical Lessons- Thy Word

2011-09-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

Last night we had a practical Bible lesson and did a family scavenger hunt to illustrate Psalm 119:105

(Before you give me too much credit, you should know the idea came from Family Life's Just Add Family)

I wrote down a list of scavenger hunt items.

Then they used their flashlights to search for things like candy and smelly socks.

Afterwards, we all sat down and discussed the verse and how the flashlights protected us from harm and helped us find our way.

I have no idea if they got it, but it sure was fun.

Sunday Snapshot- Well That Was Memorable

2011-09-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

Ruthie had her very first soccer game yesterday.

We weren't sure what to expect. Would she pick flowers or actually play?

She had a little bit of a rough start when she tried to pick up the ball. Then her shoe came untied and daddy ran onto the field to fix it for her.

When she tried to throw the ball in, it fell behind her. But after a few tries, she conquered that too.

The girl ran the entire time and played as hard as any other kid out there.

It was all going so well until the very end. Right after I snapped this picture (and knew she didn't look right), Ruthie vomited and fell at my feet. The girl played so hard, she had heat exhaustion. We quickly got her cooled down and she perked back up to her normal self within a few hours.

After it was all said and done though, she said she had a lot of fun and was ready to play again. I am thinking next time we will have more forced breaks for my little competitor.

Skipping Preschool

2011-09-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

We have skipped more days of preschool this year than we have attended.

I have been working less during the day so it is hard for me to bring myself to send her.

I know it is good for her to have friends, learn her ABCs and all that stuff, but when it comes time to walk out the door and drop her off, I just can't do it.

I just like having her around too much.

I had every intention of sending her today. Then I remembered this place called the Orange Show that I have been wanting to check out. As soon as my neighbor said she and her 3 year old could join us, I knew that we would be skipping school once again.

We got there to find out that it is actually closed during the week, but we took a few pictures and played a little anyway.

After that we drove to The Heights for lunch and some more looking around and picture snapping. I have to say that I am glad I kept her home again.

The ABCs can wait another day.

Milestones

2011-09-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

All kids reach milestones. They get teeth, lose teeth, learn to walk, go to Kindergarten and ....

...after months of practice and strategy, they learn to climb the door frame. Oh yes this has been a very big deal in our house this week.

The PT in me cringes when I see the position of his left leg, but I am setting that aside to cheer with my boy and his new skill.

The final goal was to touch his head to the top of the door frame. Mission accomplished.

It's when ordinary people rise above the expectations and seize the opportunity that milestones truly are reached.
Mike Huckabee

Sunday Snapshot- Happy Birthday Jack

2011-09-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the birthday of my favorite 8 9 year old.

Just like last year, he didn't want a party but wanted to get away with the family instead.

All 5 of us spent the day at Moody Gardens and then Jack and I spent the night.

We went to dinner and he took a few happy birthday calls from family and friends. It must be hard being that loved.

After dinner we cruised over to The Strand and had ice cream at La Kings.

His request was to sit in bed and watch the Weather Channel. A little Storm Stories and we were in birthday heaven.

We wrapped up the experience with a trip to the Rainforest Pyramid.

I love that kid and I love that when given the choice, he chooses time with his family over presents and parties.

Ruthie and Cupcakes

2011-09-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

When we were walking down the street in Rome, we came up on an Asian man who was bending metal to make things out of people's names. He started with one long piece and then ended up with a picture frame or in our case, a necklace.

I gave Ruthie her new necklace on Wednesday and we decided to celebrate with a trip to the new cupcake place in town, Rise Cupcakes.

A friend asked me the other day what the deal was with cupcakes these days. I don't know, but I am a fan! Long live the cupcake! :)

A little sugar high and we were all dancing to the music overhead.

Completely uninhibited.

Yes, long live the cupcake!

B&W Pictures and Pondering Through Europe

2011-09-14T05:38:00.000-07:00

For the last day of our trip, we traveled to Rome and took in the Vatican City. I think my favorite part was seeing where Peter is buried. Wow!

We also went to the Colosseum. It was amazing to walk around the grounds and think about all of the Christians who were martyred there.

And here are just some other favorite pictures from Europe also in black and white.

Pictures and Ponderings through Europe part 3

2011-09-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

The next 2 days we went to Corsica, Barcelona, and Montserrat.

Below is a cathedral in Corsica.

Sitting inside this cathedral was a really powerful moment for us as we were both struck by the sense of majesty we felt there. At moments like that my eyes are opened to the realization that the historic church had a better grasp on reverence for Christ than we have in some of today's worship environments.

This was taken outside of Montserrat. Montserrat is a monastery on the top of a mountain outside Barcelona. To say that it is a cool place is an understatement.

The views are spectacular and it is rich with history and stories of God's favor.

There is one story in Montserrat of a group of children who witnessed an event in a cave where Mary appeared to them. What was left in the cave was this statue. Thousands of pilgrims travel to Montserrat to see the black Madonna.

The cathedral there is also spectacular. The statues on the front represent the monks who lost their lives defending Montserrat during war times.

I really didn't take any pictures in Barcelona because I was so busy holding my husband's hand and shopping. :)

Part 2 Pictures and Ponderings Through Europe

2011-09-12T04:02:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention yesterday that we took a cruise to each of these locations. I guess that was fairly obvious by the picture on the boat but in case you wanted to give me credit for backpacking, I needed to clear that up. :)

Our 2nd port was Cannes, France. Trent and I didn't spend very much time in Cannes but instead took a train to Monaco.

This (below) is the Saint Devota chapel and dates back to 1070. Saint Devota is the patron saint of Monaco and was a christian martyr whose body arrived in Monaco by boat. They honor her through an annual ceremony.

I remember when I was child watching the Grace Kelly movie with my mother and my sister several times. Well this is the Grimaldi family castle where prince Albert lives and where they family has lived for centuries. That tour was pretty darn fascinating.

This is the Monaco cathedral where Princess Grace was married and is buried.

Monaco is a really fascinating place. It is super clean and has a very low to non-existant crime rate. Perhaps this is in part due to the fact that it has the largest police force per capita in the world. There are also security cameras all over the city. Oh and did I mention that almost every car we saw was a luxury vehicle? Oh and the yachts were fabulous too!

Monaco was a favorite stop for sure. Now just to find a relative who can move there so I can go back and visit them regularly. :)

Sunday Snapshot- Pictures and Ponderings through Europe Part 1

2011-09-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

Trent and I returned yesterday from a week in Europe. After we won the White Christmas contest with the Weather Channel, we decided to take some of the prize money and take a trip for just the 2 of us. It really was an amazing time. I struggle with how to share it here in a way that saves the memories for our family (because I print all this in a family book each year) while not boring you to death with someone else's vacation photos.

And "vacation" really is the wrong word here. It really felt more like a historical tour. So there will be very few photos this week with us in them. Something felt strange about posing in front of a 1000 year old Cathedral. So I didn't.

Now to get started with my favorite pictures and ponderings through Europe.

We flew into Milan and then took a train to Genoa, Italy. This is the Milan train station. Can you imagine how many people and stories must have walked this hall? It was built in 1864 so you know it has some stories.

I wonder how hard it was to add things like electricity, plumbing and AC to a building this old.

The ride from Milan to Genoa was beautiful and I know the locals must have thought I was crazy looking out of my window with my camera for 1/2 the time. We arrived in Genoa to this. According to my brother, my great grandfather is from Genoa. I knew he was from Italy but I learned that he was from Genoa just before I left. I may still have family living there. Who knows?

This is one of the few pictures with one of us in them. Taken from the side of our boat.

I love the building sticking up in the middle of this picture. I am not sure if it is a cathedral or a home, but it is beautiful.

So this building, while not beautiful, was one of the most fascinating to me. It is vacant, from what I could see, but must be the old port building or something like that. I can't help but wonder who or what it has seen.

We were so tired by the time we arrived to Genoa that we really didn't see much at all. Truthfully, the entire trip left me wishing I could have seen more.

Tomorrow- Cannes and Monaco

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T06:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday Snapshot- Week 1

2011-09-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Remember that restaurant I told you about? Well we went there for training night.

And remember all those places Trent had worn his Rudy's hat? Well they have one of these hanging by the front door when you walk in and they gave a copy to Trent.

While Trent ordered, the kids and I passed the time by playing around.

Finally Trent came back with our food and it was well worth the wait.

Black and White Wednesday- RUDY'S

2011-08-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Our family has a small obsession with the greatest barbecue restaurant ever- Rudy's. Trent and I went their frequently when we were newly married in San Antonio. Over the years we have collected a lot of Rudy's cups, t-shirts, and hats. The name Rudy's is found in almost every room of our home.

In 2000, we moved to Waco where there was no Rudy's. I had to wonder if God would really send us to a place that didn't have a Rudy's. :) Then it happened. Waco got a Rudy's and we were at peace again. Trent had a favorite Rudy's hat that he wore all over the world.

(In Casa Blanca)

(At the Eiffel Tower in Paris)

(In Marrakesh in the Djemaa El Fnaa)

(Over the Le Mat river in Zurich Switzerland)

(In Tiananmen Square)

(The hat's final home with a boy named Jonas in St. Marc Haiti)

So back to my story. In 2007 we moved to south Houston where again there was no Rudy's. I know! Tragedy! But I have good news. It took almost 5 years but we have be reunited with our favorite place to eat. Yes! Webster Texas got a Rudy's Barbecue. We went to the friends and family opening tonight. Pictures from that to come.

Sunday Snapshot- Week 1

2011-08-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

It was a good first week of school. I figure 2 greats and 1 lonely probably equals a good all around week.

Jack got the 1 teacher he was scared of because he had seen her in the hall the year before getting her class in order. I assured him that a teacher who has firm control of her class is our kind of teacher. After one week, he completely agrees. His 2 comments from the week-
1. "I really like math. I think that is my favorite subject."
2. "I like 3rd grade because we don't have a long recess. It is too hot out there for recess."

When I found out Sam's teachers name, I texted a friend who used to teach at the school and she replied that Sam's teacher is the same teacher she chose for her daughter. SCORE!

She has been teaching for a long time which is a good thing because I have a feeling Sam will be a bit of a challenge for her. He made a new friend this week that he says he likes to joke around with. This same friend got in trouble this week for climbing under the bathroom stall to see if the other boy had Transformers on his underwear too. Sounds like Sam has met his match.

His favorite part of the day has been P.E.

With the boys gone, Ruthie and I have had extra girl time. I have tried to entertain her with outings and play dates but every time I stop for a minute to get something done, she looks up at me and so sadly says, "I miss my bubbas." I think this sweet child is so used to being entertained that she has forgotten how to play by herself.

Looking forward to seeing what week 2 holds.

Perception + Truth= Perspective

2011-08-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of benefits to going on a mission trip. Not the least of which is that a mission trip gives you perspective.

While I was in China with Bring Me Hope, my family group made these bracelets out of torn bandanas that we colored together. I am still wearing mine today because when I look at it, I am reminded of those girls and where they are now, and suddenly I have perspective.

I came home from China to a myriad of challenges- my home needed a week's worth of catch up, our refrigerator went out, we had some not so smooth transitions going on at work, my hours (and thus income) was cut in half because of those transitions, I was in a car wreck this week, and the list goes on. Every time I have a moment that threatens to take my joy, I look at my bracelet and suddenly I have perspective.

This equation came to me the other day. PERCEPTION + TRUTH= PERSPECTIVE. You see we can live our lives based on our perception of our environment (and it may never be good enough) OR we can permeate that perception with the truth of how fortunate we really are and suddenly we have perspective.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those friends and family who come here just for pics of the kiddos, I have a few pictures here from my trip with Ruthie to Kemah to play in the spray fountain. Little did I know that a major storm was heading our way. So we played in it anyway with water shooting up from the fountain and falling down from the sky. This place is normally filled with hundreds of people and on that rainy day we were there with less than 20. For you photographers, these were all taken through my SLR water proof bag.

Black and White Wednesday- Back2School

2011-08-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to shoot back to school pictures of my kids near an old school bus. I found one and went with my family to ask the owner if we could take a few pictures by it. When he threatened to shoot my husband I figured it was time to go with plan B.

I was really pleased with how these turned out though. Forgive the # of photos here. I actually edited 65!

1st Day of School Video

2011-08-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Many of you will have already seen this on facebook but for those of you who aren't my friend on facebook (I think that is just you dad), here is our 1st day of school to my new favorite song.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-08-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

I have been a bad blogger this week. We have been busy with back to school stuff and had 2 different sets of family in. It was a great week but left no time for blogging.

This week wrapped up with a Back 2 School Bash hosted by our church. It is a great outreach where we give school supplies away to the neighborhood kids. Jack worked the line while Sam played hard enough for both of them. Ruthie attached herself to our neighbor and friend who served as a great babysitter while I chatted and snapped a few pics.

School starts tomorrow!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday Snapshot- RAIN!

2011-08-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to a swim party and on the way home, it started to rain. Sam asked me if it was a meteor shower. I know it has been a long time since we have seen rain, but has it been that long?

The kids jumped out of the car to play and I ran inside to get my waterproof camera bag. :)

Then we remembered we have those things. What are they called? Oh I remember- umbrellas!

They may need some repair after this day.

But that is okay because it rained and it was worth it!

Comfort and Calling. The other 99%.

2011-08-12T20:12:00.001-07:00

On the last day of my trip to China, I was talking to one of the full time workers there and trying to coming up with ways my church could be involved in Bring Me Hope or this orphanage. I found myself trying to think of people I knew who might go and then I found myself trying to come up with ways to make the trip more appealing to them. Could we stay somewhere nicer? Could we arrange for food that they would be more comfortable with? We could work in some sightseeing before or after the work part?

A few minutes later he brought me home with a great statement. He said in America most of you live in the top 1% of the world (it is true - if you earn more than $50,000 a year, you are in the top 1% - from The Whole in Our Gospel by Richard Sterns, p.216) and that it should be okay for our people to spend a week with the top 20%. He was right.

That got me thinking. I would like to make the case that when we ask, "Am I called to that?" concerning global missions, what we are often really asking ourselves is, "Am I comfortable with that?"

The answer to the first question, "Am I called to that?" is YES! Absolutely!

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the ages. Matthew 28.18-20

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1.8

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1.27

The answer to the second question, "Am I comfortable with that? is PROBABLY NOT.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Tim 6.9-10

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Matt 19:24

I don't think God is saying here that there won't be any wealthy people in heaven. I think instead He is warning us of the power our wealth can have over our hearts and our willingness to respond to the truth of His word and His call on our lives.

So how do we respond when faced with a truth like this? I think we respond in 1 of 3 ways.

1. We ignore it and pretend like it doesn't apply to us. After all, we aren't comfortable with it so it must now be true and if we ignore it and ignore people who speak it, then it will go away.

2. We feel guilty and get lost somewhere in that guilt. This leads to either a lack of response or an insincere response that is motivated by guilt instead of faith and a transformed life.

3. We take necessary steps to align our stuff with God's will through a heart of thankfulness. We become givers out of our abundance and we sacrifice our comfort for the sake of His call.

Something worth thinking about. I hope it challenges you, because it has challenged me.

Black and White Wednesday

2011-08-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

Jack has always loved trains.

He outgrew the train table pretty quick and started building tracks that took over entire rooms of our house when he was about 4.

I love that he still plays with trains and I love that Ruthie likes to put on his train hat and join him.

They even incorporate her doll houses now into the set up.

I know he will outgrow this some day so I took these today to help me remember how sweet these moments are.

Thoughts after a few hours home

2011-08-07T00:51:00.000-07:00

I know that I should be sleeping since it is 2:30 am or is it 2:30 pm. You see this is a problem because my mind and my body are in conflict over that right now.

I have a few thoughts and moments to share on the last several hours in the states:

1. Putting mayonnaise in your hair has got to be up there on the top 10 nastiest experiences. I don't think I will every be able to eat mayo on a sandwich again and I can only imagine how bad this stuff is going to smell in a few hours. If this does create a taste aversion for mayo, I may have to try it next week for some of my other weaknesses like chocolate and ice cream. hmm. Right now I just want it to kill anything that might be crawling around up there.

2. I told Trent I needed him to pick up some lice spray. He asked why and I said so I could spray down his backpack that I borrowed. He bought not 1 but 2 cans. Love that man.

3. Nothing says welcome back to the states like your middle child greeting you after being gone for a week with, "Hi mom. I missed you and I decided that I don't want a DS anymore, I want an ipod instead".

4. When God created warm baths, He was thinking of me.

5. Sometime this week I want my husband to take me out for a steak and baked potato.

6. As I look over the pictures from the trip, I already have regrets.

I wish I had looked the girls in the eyes more and told them how beautiful I think they are.
I wish I had prayed more and encouraged the team to pray more.
I wish I had helped tuck the girls in bed. The translator would say, "I will take them to bed now" and I was just so glad for some rest that I didn't ponder what I might be missing in those minutes. I am pondering it now.
I wish I had bought them more clothes.
I wish I would have found a place to print pictures for them and then given more to them. I think I may do that here and send them to Yuan Yuan at least.
I wish I had told the staff more what a great job they were doing.

It is so hard for me to appreciate the good we did right now because I am so full of regret for what I didn't do. I know it will come and I am so thankful for continued communication with

Bring Me Hope and International China Concern who have continued relationships with these kids. If you aren't familiar with these organizations, you should check out their websites.

China Final Day

2011-08-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up last night with a fireworks show. It is amazing how cheap you can get fireworks here. They were actually very nice.

This morning was the last few hours for camp. After breakfast, Jamie and I broke out some face paint that we brought while we were waiting for the closing session.

I am a terrible face painter so after playing a little I handed off the brush and let the kids take over. I was surprised at how creative they were. It was a great way to get our minds off of what was ahead of us.

There is an Australian family here that moved to China for 8 months after working with Bring Me Hope the last 2 years. Their children are precious and their family is an inspiration. He is a physical therapist and sold his practice in Australia so they could afford to come here for 8 months. He works in the orphanage that this group of kids came from. They also manage a group of foster homes who take care of children who are HIV positive. Did you know that the orphanages are so afraid of HIV here that they will leave the children in rooms by themselves and just pass food to them with no interaction or stimulation? The children with HIV also don't get the drugs they need to suppress the virus so many of them are left to die.

This family is educating the orphanages on the ways HIV is transmitted and they are raising funds to get the meds that the children need. They also said that most of these children contracted HIV from their birth mother and if they are treated early enough the virus can sometimes be completely suppressed or is only transferred through a transfusion. I think it is amazing what this family has done and what they are continuing to do.

So back to the morning...

After face painting, we had our last assembly. In this assembly the translator read letters that we wrote to the children and that the children wrote to us. They were so sweet and most of the children were crying very hard because they understood that it was time to go home. My younger one was fine with going home and was still enjoying every minute of camp, but Yuan Yuan started to pull away from me during this time and did not want to come up to hear her letter.

As the translator read the letter I wrote to Yuan Yuan, she looked up from her tears and stared at me as if to say, "you believe that about me".

When it was time to go, I loaded each girl up with bags of goodies. They came with the clothes on their backs and maybe one other outfit and then left with bags of clothes, toys, and other presents. Yuan Yuan organized all her things and wouldn't let anyone touch them. She wouldn't even let me be the one to put them on the van.

Some of the kids cried while others were okay with returning home. It seemed that the kids who were in foster homes were more comfortable with leaving. I think it really spoke to the importance of having a family environment.

Camp was very quiet when we stepped back in. I guess I didn't realize how loud all the little voices and feet were. It was a pretty solemn afternoon. We did some shopping, debriefed on our time, and got lost with a Chinese cab driver. That was interesting.

Tomorrow morning we will leave to return home. I look forward to seeing what comes out of this trip. I was amazed with all that came from trip to Haiti one year ago so I am trusting that this will be just as powerful. Thanks for following along.

More from China Day 4

2011-08-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

I missed some of the pictures, so this is a continuation of Day 4 (Trent for Ginny).

Lots of "Joy" at the pool.

Boys and their toys.

Look at this grin!

For the first hour, Yuan Yuan (older one) just sat on the side scared and wouldn't step in. Then one of the translators was able to get her to hold her hand and go for it. That child laughed and screamed for joy like I have never seen.

The entire time in the pool, Yuan Yuan squeeled with joy and then afterwards she stepped in front of me and jumped up and down laughing to express to me her excitement. So the pool is a warm (non-chlorinated) spring pool that is inside. Think of it like an extra large bathtub.

It is NOTHING that I would choose to go in on my own.

China Day 4

2011-08-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

The food is quite strange. Green beans and mystery meat just aren't the breakfast of choice for me and I can't seem to stomach the common plate thing. I guess it is a good fast track to weight loss. :)

Watching my older girl discover the escalator was pretty funny yesterday because she rode about 1/2 way with her legs stretched out over 3 steps and then nearly fell of at the end not knowing how to take a step.

I let her drive on the bumper cars and she was just screaming laughing and spinning the wheel so the picture where I am screaming is not an exaggeration. It was truly that terrifying. :)

We drove these little cars around and the instructions were for the "best" driver to drive them. Well my translator has never driven a car so I was in charge. There was a point when my younger one was close enough to me that she was able to drive if I would let her. All week she has been very compliant and obedient so I let her control the wheel. Little did I know that it would bring out the hidden 16 year old in her and make her want to steer towards all the Chinese people on the sidewalk. I told her that she didn't get extra dessert if she hit someone. :) She would push my hand away when I tried to take back over. It was pretty cute though.

I think Jamie is having a good time. She had some adjusting to go from expecting a young girl to getting 2 older boys. She is seeing however that she is right where she is supposed to be as she is really making a difference in these boys' lives. One keeps asking her when she is leaving like he is preparing himself for her to go. It is really sad and touching. Yesterday they both told her that their favorite part of the week was shopping with her. Is that not so Jaime? I think it made her day. :)

My younger girls' new name will be Joy Clark and her mom has a blog (www.adecmusic.com/joy) for her adoption. The shirt she is wearing in the placement photo (from 2008) is the same one (and only) shirt she brought to camp. I am not sure she had another shirt before coming here. She does now and she has new shoes too. I discovered yesterday that she didn't come with underwear either so we got her some boys underwear from a common clothing bag here at camp. She looked at it like "what is this for?" so I had to lift the corner of my undies out of the top of my pants to show her. I saw the light come on in her brain and she put them on. Not having underwear she didn't seem to notice that they were for little boys and had Lightning McQueen on them. So many memories.

Time to start a new day now. I told the translator to send the girls down when they woke up. They have both so taken to camp that they are fighting sleeping and then talk during rest time and wake up super early. That poor translator is going to need a week to recover.

China Day 3

2011-08-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Today was a full but great day. My girls are bonding beautifully and have become real friends. My younger child has been matched for adoption and I have actually been in contact with her adoptive mom this week. I have really enjoyed passing on the details of her personality to her mom because I know how much I would have appreciated that when I was waiting on Ruthie.

We went to a park/amusement park today and the kids loved it (pictures below). It was full of crazy firsts from bumper cars to escalators. I will write more later. We are just exhausted.

Ginny

China Day 2

2011-08-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

A few thoughts from today (and more serious thoughts below):

1. There are apparently 2 poses for the older Chinese orphan - the peace sign and the thinking man.

2. Trust is earned over hours and days and destroyed in minutes. Thank heavens it can be re-earned.

3. A table of 10 eating from the same plates = no bueno or however you say that in Chinese.

4. A gift of faith for turnaround is more successful than a gift of administration for escape.

5. McDonald's McFlurrys will help any child eat their McDonald's McHamburger in China just like it helps in the States. Bribery, anyone?

6. Even if you treat for lice, it can still spread.

7. Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility. Did I mention flexibility?

8. Tires on buses in China must be made of steel in order to hold that many people.

9. I have seen it with my own eyes - Jamie can spend a lot of money in a short time even when she doesn't speak the language (she is making me clarify: not on herself).

10. Those European speedos that gross you out on your beach vacation are gross on men in China too.

11. Just the act of looking at lice will make your entire head itch.

12. If you want a picture of the strange food on the side of the road, you have to have the stomach to smell it long enough to take the picture. Google it because I don't have one for you.

Now, speaking of pictures...

On the way!

Cool hat!

Bracelet making...

McDonald's! (who would've thought you'd put an exclamation point after that?)

More crafts.

Aforementioned poses: thinkers (even at Mickey D's) and peace-signers.

And now for a moment or two of serious reflection.

My older girl is going to be the miracle of this week. She went from trying to run away yesterday to loving camp today. A few key things happened that I think made her feel more secure. While we were walking, her beaded necklace fell off and beads went everywhere. Immediately several children ran over and started picking up the beads for her and then one of Jamie's boys took off his necklace and put it around her neck. I really do think it was an ordained moment to let her know that she is loved here. Then we went shopping and I was able to buy her some clothes and shoes. She was so happy and came over to tell me thank you and held my hand. I think that was the moment that she figured out that I wasn't so bad either. She has really warmed up and it has been great to see.

My younger one is just precious. She is a girly girl. When we were beading necklaces she didn't want the plastic beads I handed her but would reach for the glittery ones. This afternoon she wanted to change clothes "just because" and she was very particular about what she picked out when we went shopping. She is having a lot of fun too.

Jaime's boys went shopping today too and she took them to a department type store instead of street shopping like I did. The boys loved trying on nice clothes and getting to buy things for school. They wouldn't let Jamie help them carry their bags or let anyone else touch their bags because they were so proud of their new things.

We are doing well though very tired.

Ginny

Day 1: Adventures in Camp

2011-08-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

We got our kids today. We're off and running. China's an interesting place. Some places are so modern. Some...Well, how long have older men been sitting around playing checkers?

Jamie got 2 boys who are super sweet. The older is parental toward the younger. He apparently plays that role around the orphanage a lot.

I got 2 girls. The oldest has struggled all day with me and camp but seems to be coming around. It's understandable when you realize she's never, as in not ever, been outside the orphanage. I figure I have been rejected in China once before so I can handle this. All kidding aside, she could use some prayers her way.

The younger girl is an absolute doll!

A forever family is waiting on her. Come on paperwork!

Only tough thing with this one is that she came with, ahem, friends in her hair that Jaime (bless her heart and everything else about her) picked out one by one tonight. So, after a long day, we're looking forward to a good night's sleep and hoping not to have those same kind of little friends of our own in our hair, clothing, bedding, etc.

Good Night's Sleep and Ready to Go

2011-07-31T16:17:00.001-07:00

I just got off of Skype with Ginny and Jamie. They had a good night's sleep and are looking forward to their day with the kids. Should have a longer post later after a report.

Trent (for Ginny)

In China!

2011-07-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

For all who wonder, Ginny and Jamie made it to Xi'an and are in the hotel, unpacking, and readying for the kick-off of camp tomorrow. There's a brief orientation in the morning and they get kids sometime after that. Please continue to pray for their safety and their ministry. I'll post more as updates are available.

Thanks!

Trent (for Ginny)

Leaving For China!

2011-07-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (very early) I will be leaving for China to work with an organization called Bring Me Hope. They offer a summer camp for orphans and use volunteers to partner with the children and bless them during that week. My good friend, Jamie, will be traveling with me and we are very excited to see what God has planned for this week.

Here are some ways you can pray if you think of us while we are gone:

1. Pray that we make all of our flights and transitions without difficulty. We have a very short connection in New Jersey.

2. Pray for safety and good health for our team in China and our families back home.

3. Pray that we would lay down our expectations and preferences and exchange them for God's will for this week.

4. Pray that God will speak clearly to us during the week regarding His will for our future involvement in China and for our involvement with the kids of BMH.

I am sure there will more requests as we go but right now I just can't seem to think clearly. Signing off now to go kiss on my babies before I have to go.

Wordless Black and White Wednesday

2011-07-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

Window Crayons

2011-07-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about window crayons, I don't know who was more excited- Mommy Me or Photographer Me.

Mommy Me loves how these kinds of activities reveal the individual personalities of my children.

Ruthie wrote her name and drew circles and squiggles.

Jack drew weather patterns.

And Sam drew a multi-layered scene complete with a light saber fight.

Photographer Me loves the challenge of capturing this right. First I had to decide which window to use. I didn't want so much light in that it washed out the crayon or created a silhouette but I also didn't want to have to set my ISO too high or use my flash.

Then I got to play with composition and which side of the window to shoot from. I also enjoyed to trying to figure out where was best to focus- my subject or the art.

We all had a great time- all 3 kids and both of my personalities. :)

"This" and "That"

2011-07-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Life is full of choices. Should I do "that" or stay with "this"? For me, the deciding factor (although I am not proud of it) has often been comfort.

About a month ago, I was given the opportunity to participate in "that". I was talking with a friend about a mission opportunity in China that interested me. It involved both photography and orphans so of course I was fired up. When it didn't work out, she mentioned a camp for orphans called Bring Me Hope that she thought I might be interested in participating in. It intrigued me, but I had some concerns about "that".

What would it cost me? How long would it last? Would I go alone? Oh and by the way God, I am not a large group kinda girl. I am not sure "that" is for me.

God answered those with (1) I've already provided for it through that photography ministry you have and (2) it lasts long enough (3) and, no, I have already laid it on the heart of a dear friend to go with you and I have taken care of that last detail too.

I sat down with Trent at the end of those few days of praying and knew that I could either continue talking myself out of this or I could just say yes because burning bush, warm fuzzy, bring me to tears callings don't always happen. The only calling that I needed was the one He gave me 2000 years ago.

Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."
Deuteronomy 10:18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

So I am figuring that I can do stuff like "that" or I can continue to walk in "this". The only thing is "this" is temporary and "that" is eternal so I think I will choose "that" and I pray I have the strength to continue to do so.

Black and White Wednesday

2011-07-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the lake with my brother and his family. We do this about once a year and it is always a great time. Here are a few pictures from our time there and yes dad I will get you one of all the grandkids together. :)

Nothing quite like fishing in your favorite Star Wars pjs.

More Pics from Palm Beach

2011-07-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

I have several more pictures I want to show you that I took with my underwater bag. Did I mention that it is great for sand too? All that fine sand can wreak havoc on your lens but not with my bag. :)
I won't shoot portrait sessions with it or anything but I will definitely use it for family beach time.

Underwater Capture

2011-07-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

A few posts back I told you that I got a new toy for my camera. They make these super cool underwater bags for digital SLRs that only cost about $100. Most underwater point and shoot cameras are more expensive and the picture quality is poor. I took a ton of pictures while we were at Palm Beach and I learned a little about this new toy along the way.

1. Completely dry it takes a pretty good picture. This is significant because I was concerned about quality when you put an SLR lens behind a plastic lens. Also most underwater cameras get bad reviews for out of water pictures.

2. Underwater it is just as good as an underwater camera

3. When it got interesting was with pictures taken out of water with me standing in the water after the bag was wet. I had some trouble focusing beyond the water here to get Jack in focus, but I still like what I got.

4. I love how close up I was able to get Sam here but you can't miss the unavoidable water dots on the lens.

5. Again water on the lens affects the quality of these images, but they would have been difficult to get any other way.

6. Because you can shoot with an SLR, you can still control your manual settings to get a fast shutter speed and freeze water like this.

7. Occasionally the camera lens falls below the bag lens and you get a false vignette like I have here in the picture with Sam. This took some practice for me to figure out how to stabilize the camera lens in the bag.

I have more pics to share over the next few days, but these are just some thoughts on the bag. I think for the money, it is fun to have to catch pictures you might otherwise be unable to get.

Happy Gotcha Day

2011-07-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

2 Years and 6 months ago, I saw her picture for the first time. I was scared to death, but still knew instantly that she was meant to be mine.

After 6 of the longest months of my life, I finally saw her face to face.

She was not quite as happy to see me...

But that soon changed and I had one very happy little girl on my hands.

I just can't believe it has been 2 years since Wen Mei Peng became Ruthie Mei Karen Henderson.

Happy Gotcha Day sweet girl. I love you and feel so very blessed to be your mommy!

A Spontaneous Outing

2011-07-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

I heard about this nifty little underwater camera bag the other day but when I called around, I discovered that only one store in Houston carries it. Oh and that store is 45 minutes away in The Heights. The problem is that we are going to a water park today to celebrate Ruthie's gotcha day and I wanted this bag. I looked at my friend Lauren at 4:30 knowing this place closed at 6:30 and Lauren said, "let's go".

So we loaded up my kids and drove to The Heights (only got lost once) to get this bag. On the way home we stopped at the greatest little restaurant and topped off the evening with cupcakes there. I had to post my iphone pics of that here in celebration of our spontaneous outing and my new underwater bag.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-07-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

Ruthie's grandmother likes to sew for her and occasionally she will show up with a fun new creation.
She brought this new shirt when they visited last week. Sounds like a good reason for a photo op to me. :)

This is the face of a child who has her picture taken way too often. Here she is telling me, "I will cooperate but really mom do we have to do this again?"

And this was after I said the word "booger". Works every time. :)

A few more shots from our 5 minute adventure.

She is getting bored with me again.

And then her brother who came along just to see the train station sat beside her and made it fun again.

Thanks Grandi. We love Ruthie's new shirt.