We Will Never Forget

A tribute to the heroes and the ones who lost their loved ones. Also, to the ones who are still fighting to keep us safe.

Two Years Ago...

Two years ago today, I saw this face for the first time. I had gotten on the A Helping Hand website to pay our home study update fee when I just happened to check on the "Special Delivery" link. We were clients of America World with AHH doing our home study. We were on the NSN route, but 3 months prior we had filled out a check-list for SN. When I saw Claire's face I instantly knew that she was our daughter. I recognized her for a lack of a better term. I immediately called James and told him to look at the website and to pray about her and to please not let her SN scare him away. Claire had been diagnosed at less than 5 months with a tumor in her mediastinal cavity. He called me back in just a few minutes and said let's go get her! It was too late to call AHH and I couldn't sleep that night worrying about her! I called first thing the next morning and got the ball rolling on us being able to be considered to adopt her. The committee at AHH allowed us to submit our LOI and we were one of the last families that China allowed to have two agencies work together to bring our child home. When we got home with Claire, we saw her doctor one week later. They did a chest x-ray and we waited in the office while her doctor was on the phone with the pediatric radiologist. She was talking to the radiologist and smiling and giving us the "thumbs up" sign. Claire's x-ray was 100% clear and she is 100% healthy. We have been blessed beyond measure!

Professional Pictures*Updated*

We had professional pictures made on July 2 by a wonderful photographer named
Robin Allen. She has been taking pictures of our kids for 15 months now and this was the first time James and I joined in. We went to James' parents lovely farm and it was the perfect location. There are a lot of pictures so make sure you scroll all the way down and check out all of them. If you are anywhere near, I can't recommend Robin highly enough. She is super-patient with kids and she has a great eye for getting the right shot. You can click on the pictures to see them in a larger size.
*Robin is going out on her own and has a new website. I have linked that website and you can see it when you click on her name. Also, if you scroll down you can see some new picutures of the boys.*

The Whole Crew!

Claire and her "Peacock Dress"

From the moment we first met Claire, she has been a "fashion queen". I had read everything about adoption and attachment that I could get my hands on before we went to China and I felt as prepared as possible for what lay ahead. I had read not to rush into changing your child's clothing too soon as they may feel attached to the clothing that they had been put in by their nanny or their foster mother. So, I was doing exactly that. After we had been in the room for awhile, I opened Claire's suitcase to get another toy out and Claire saw the suitcase full of clothes and she sat straight up and started looking in and then she started taking off her clothes and pointing to the clothes in the suitcase! She was so excited that she couldn't wait to try on the new clothes. Everyday in China she was thrilled to put on a new outfit and every night she was just as excited to put on a new pair of pajamas. We had a ritual of going and looking in the mirror at whatever new thing she was wearing and admiring how pretty she was. Once we got back home, Claire turned into a shopper. She would walk into a store at age 2 and start moving the clothes on the rack and looking at everything she could see. She had definite ideas about what she liked and I will admit that she had very good taste! Well, that was a long story to get to the point about this dress. We were at Gap and Claire saw this dress and she actually gasped out loud. She said, "Oh Mommy! I just have to have that dress. That dress will look so gorgeous on me!" (Did I mention she has great self-esteem?) She went on and on until I just had to buy it. She talked about the dress the entire 45 minute drive home. She said, "My Daddy won't believe how beautiful I am going to look in that dress." Well, when we got home she immediately had to put it on and she does this little run-way walk (I'm not joking), and she shows her Daddy the dress and she tells us, "I am so gorgeous in this dress. I am going to call this dress my Peacock Dress because it looks just like a peacock." So, that is why we have pictures of Claire in this dress, because Robin says that any dress that a child has given a name has to be photographed! I think it photographed beautifully.

Laura

Our Laura is turning 9 this week. It is so hard to believe. It seems like only a couple of years ago that I was in the hospital holding her for the first time. I know everybody says it, but it is just so true.

Our Boys *updated*

Here are the boys! They are reluctant subjects at best when it comes to photography sessions. I'm sure it is the age and the gender. It's a good thing that Robin is so good at what she does. Connor who is in the top picture is 13 and Chase, below, is 15.