A long overdue update.....

It have been several years since I last updated this blog.  Obviously, a lot has happened in that amount of time.  This was updated 1/15/19 because I never posted the last update. 😊

College Graduation - Mizzou

Ethan and Jacquie

Ethan - HS Graduation - Valedictorian

Let's start with what Ethan has been up to since the last post.  He graduated from high school as Valedictorian and earned a 33 on his ACT!!!  He got his first jobs.  He worked at Mardel's and worked two summers at the high school repairing chrome books.  He chose to go to the local community college his first year of college.  He received a 4.0 GPA and his Associate's Degree.  He also graduated with honors from Mizzou with a double major in Spanish and Communications.  He is now in graduate school at Mizzou study communications.  He is a teaching assistant.  He also traveled in May 2016 with his dad to China again to bring his baby sister home. He traveled to China again in 2018 with his girlfriend to meet her parents.

Devin went back to public school his Freshman year.  He had a very successful year.  He lettered in FBLA and Golf and participated in Debate.  He went to State in FBLA.  He is still golfing and earned the top award last season. He still enjoys gaming!  I can't believe he is a Senior. He was also diagnosed with severe allergies; therefore, he gets weekly allergy shots. He is also an Eagle Scout and works at Pie Five.

Heidi is in the 10th grade (she and all her younger siblings are homeschooled).  She likes to watch t.v. and draw.  She also enjoys going to youth group at church.

Spencer is in the 7th grade.  He has had many doctor appointments.  We are still trying to figure out all of his medical needs. We recently found out he has low bone density and growth hormone deficiency.  We are hoping treatments for these will help him.  He has a cool red wheelchair with light-up wheels. He loves to play board games.

Isabelle loves crafting and is an excellent student. She is in the 7th grade. She likes playing basketball and soccer, but really enjoyed track and cross-country this year.  She has really shot-up and is taller than Heidi.

Riley is in the 5th grade.  He excels in math.  He likes to watch documentaries on animals (esp. underwater animals).  He plays basketball, runs track and cross country, but he really enjoys soccer.  He is so much fun to watch.

Ruth is in the 5th grade.  She is always singing and has a beautiful voice.  She is also found playing with her younger sister.  They love to play with dolls and animals (esp. penguin).

                                     

Cooper is in 1st grade and loves school!  He is a great reader.  He is such a funny guy.  He likes to run and play on his Kindle.

Selah is almost 5 years old.  She is a little spitfire.  She arrived home in May 2016. She had clubfoot repair this last year, but it has not slowed her down.  She loves to play with her dolls and animals and has quite the imagination.

My dad passed away in February 2017 from cancer.  We sure miss him. My mom is doing ok, but has a few medical issues.  Chris' mom and dad are doing well.  They survived Hurricane Irma and moved back to Missouri!

Below are a few more updated photos:

Chris with Devin the day he earned Eagle Scout

Family at Ethan's college graduation

Heidi, Isabelle and Java Chip - Sept 2018

Thanksgiving 2018

Christmas 2018

New Years 2018

2 Months Home

Cooper arrived in the USA on May 29, 2014!  He is such a blessing to our family.  His transition has smoother than we anticipated.  Much to our surprise, he was a momma's boy the morning after he arrived.  Cooper is sweet, smart and never stops!  Our biggest struggle is food.  He wants it all the time, but is very picky!  He loves to go "bye, bye".  He loves playing outside and water-play.  He is fearless.  The only shows he like are "Boonie Bears" (in Chinese on y*utube) and Froz*n.  Watching him try to sing the songs is priceless!!!!!!!!!!  He likes to eat hotdogs, chicken nuggets, ice cream, fruit snacks and chocolate.

 

We have had a lot of fun since he has arrived home!  Daddy and Spencer had birthdays.  We have been bowling, visited a couple of parks, had a picnic and went on a boat ride on the lake.

 

 

 

Chris, Ethan and Devin left for 10 days for scout camp at Bartle! We visited them on "Visitor's Saturday".  Ethan spent a week at Boy's State.  Ethan also received his driver's license and had his senior photo taken.  Where has the time gone?

Spencer had surgery on June 7th to have a plate placed in his knee.  His recovery has been smooth.

We have enjoyed being a family of 10!  We are so blessed. 

 

 

Gotcha!

I first saw his precious face in December of 2012!  In June, we decided we should pursue his adoption.  Yesterday, he met his Daddy and oldest brother!!

He was born December 14, 2011 in Nanning City, China.  He has been with a foster family for over a year.  He came to Chris without tears; however, at bedtime he grieved.  After a couple hours of this, he fell asleep and slept through the night.
His caretakers describe him as busy!!! Chris says he has a lot of personality, and I think he is adorable!! 

His nickname is Bing Bing.  Yesterday when they got back to the hotel, Chris and Ethan took off their shoes.  A few moments went by, and here came Cooper with their shoes - he wanted to go "bye bye".

Introducing our baby boy, Cooper!!!

Christmas Vacation!!!

Over the holidays we went to Florida.  Grandpa and Grandma M. recently bought a home near Ft. Myers, Florida, and we decided to go for a visit.


The kids were very excited when Santa surprised them with tickets to Disn*y World!!  FYI - Santa came to our house early this year.  We drove straight through to Orlando.  We left at 9 pm on Thursday and arrived at around 10:00 pm Friday.  It was an extremely tough drive, but we were trying to stay ahead of the bad weather tailing us.


*Side Note - On the way there, we stopped at Crack*r Barrel for breakfast in Tennessee.  As we were leaving, a lady stopped me and said that she had something for our family.  She said she was waiting for God to tell her who to give a certain gift to.  She ran out to her RV and grabbed a package.  She asked me not to open it until we got to the car.  Once in the car, we opened it up.  Inside was a mason jar filled with money (over $100).  What a blessing she was to our family.*

We didn't get to Disn*y until about 1:00 pm, because we slept in.  We thought the kids would tucker out around 8-9 pm.  However, they closed the park down.  We didn't get out of the park until about 1:30 am!!!!!!!!!!!  Crazy kids.


The next day, we drove a few hours to Grandpa and Grandma's house.  We were so very excited to see them.  We just relaxed that day!  The following day we all went to the beach.  It was wonderful weather.  The next day we visited the Shell Museum and went to Christmas Eve service.  We also enjoyed a nice seafood dinner.  Christmas Day was nice and relaxing, and we enjoyed a yummy dinner and dessert.  It seemed like we had just arrived when it was time to go again.  We left early the next morning and drove through Atlanta and rested for the night.  We drove all day the next day and finally arrived home. Home Sweet Home!

Now it is time for photos!

                                          Christmas Program!
                They all did great, and Riley and Ruth had a solo!