Clarks Hill Christmas Tree Farm 2016

Money, money, money, MONEY!

 My girls are being raised in the suburbs yet they love a good stick when they are given the chance to explore the great outdoors.

 And the girls may have been born in China yet they are being raised in the southern United States which has led them to a crazy love for boiled peanuts.

 Maddox is such a caregiver.  She would peal each peanut for Chapman and then be sure to take them apart to avoid choking.

 The farm always provides the best place for a little football throwing....

 and our little Maryn chose to eat Cheetos and used her cheesy fingers as lipstick!

 The cutest little Santa was onsite!

 Six blessings....age 16-2, phew!

 These four especially keep us on our toes!

They provide quite the entertainment at all times. 

 A little hide-and-go-seek.....

 this sweet girl was always hidden so well.....

 And Miss Maryn could not wait to have her turn to count!

 I hope the memories remain forever and ever, the fun we have hiding around and under the Christmas trees each year!

 The chasing....the laughter....

Big brothers are really the best.....

 these two brothers play and play with their sisters.....at home and on the go!

 That was a wrap for hiding....

 Four little cuties in a sleigh as we waited for our hayride!

 This little one has grown so much in one year!  She is in first grade and adores her teacher!  She has thoroughly enjoyed her time in school!

 Hayride time.....

 Two little explorers!

 Picture time.....getting all set up is sometimes a bit of a challenge!

 And then there is this!  They smile.  They all look at the camera!

 And as quick as it works, it falls apart again, LOL!

 I am so thankful for the life these six have given to me!

 They each have a part of my heart and I love being their mother!

(I will add, it is not always easy, there are days when I just quit for a bit, BUT it is always, always what I am most thankful for!)

 MK is 9!  Going on 19 - eek!

 Daddy forgot his measuring tape so little Maryn offered to measure the trees with her stick for us!

 And Miss Maddox was her supervisor!

 We found our tree!  And the boys had to do their traditional hugging of the tree picture!

 Sweet baby girl!

She is pure joy!

 After the tree cutting, MK and Maddox assessed the age of our tree!

 My SIX!  

Who would have ever imagined it!

I pray they always do life together!

 And Colin....this guy makes me laugh.

 Junior Explorer

 One of the best big sisters ever!

 Time to take our tree back to the barn!

 And that is a wrap!

Christmas tree farming 2016 in the books!  

Two Cs, our bookends!

The First Ten Days of Christmas

Miss Chapman wasted no time in decorating her Christmas cookie and making sure she ate every.last.bite of the icing.

 My dear friend, Sandi, and her family visited us!  We were so excited to spend time with their family!  Sandi is one of my favorite friends, the one who always pushed me to do well, and one that I will always look up to.  

 She and her husband, Greg, have two bio kiddos, Mason and Katie Beth, and then their sweet Guangdong, China girl who joined their family almost one year ago.  

 Maryn and Braelyn were instant friends! 

 Chapman has been in awe of Christmas and all of our decor.

 I was a bit worried that she was going to be so enthralled that maybe she would think it a good idea to undecorate the trees.  

 But, alas, she has been a dream!  She does like to carefully touch the ornaments within her reach but she hasn't totally tried to take them all off.  Phew.

 Sweet Maddox made her own pair of pipe cleaner glasses at church.  She asked for me to take a picture and I had to say YES!  It is seldom that one of the children asks for me to take a picture of them!

 Our annual Nutcracker tradition!  The girls' ballet school performs this show each year and it is fabulous!  

 The girls especially enjoy this show because their teachers are the dancers and they LOVE finding them in their different roles onstage.  

 Little Maryn went for the first time this year.  I was so hesitant to bring her thinking it would be too long for her to sit through.  To my surprise, she sat in awe of the entire show!  She found her teacher and was so excited to see her onstage, she danced along in her seat with the music, she was all smiles and I will never forget that special time with her!

We did our best to get a group photo of Sandi's children and mine together.....it was the end of our evening and the littles were just done and not having it!  After a gazillion attempts, we got one!  So thankful!

Sandi's sister-in-law and family live two miles from us.  They were able to join us for dinner too!  Such a fun night!

 This little one continues to show us her mover and shaker personality!  This week she proceeded to climb up and down the stairs, jump on her sister's bed, climb onto our living room ottoman and finally made her way into this little baby crib.  

 To think, we didn't even know she was waiting this time last year.....adopting again was so far off of our radar.....and here she is now, with us, wrapping us up in her love!  So thankful God chose us and we said YES!

 She prays.

When we first came home, she was so sad each night as we prayed before dinner.  I am sure she thought we were the meanest people ever as we placed her food right in front of her yet asked her to pray before eating.  Over time, she has grown and now we can ask her to fix her pretty hands, she prays and says, "Amen!"

 St. Nicklaus visited our kiddos!  We love this little tradition!  Shoes and treats....so simple and sweet!

 Matthew the Elf has returned....

this time with a girlfriend!

Maddox has had so much fun with Matthew....she first decided he needed some clothes so we purchased some for him stat, then she decided to ask him if he had a girlfriend - and he does, so then she asked if the girlfriend could visit - and she could, so then she asked if we could keep her - and the big man said YES!  She is one thrilled seven year old!  

Lyria (pronounced LIE-RA) has officially joined our family.....she and Matthew are not married as they are only 225 years old and they must be 400 to marry!  They are not gotten into too much trouble this season - thinking the girlfriend has slowed Matthew down a bit or helped him to make wise decisions.  Whatever the case, we are enjoying their company during this season!

 A Christmas Carol

8 years and counting

This show is amazing!  Chapman sat through the entire show without a peep!  

 Social II Christmas Formal

 These guys are so fun together!  Kaylee and Pryce have known each other since Kindergarten and they are the perfect friends that allow each other a sense of comfort and fun all in one!  

 Hayride through the Life of Christ

Hot chocolate, crafts, friends, and, the best part, a hayride that takes one through the life of Christ - it is a powerful!

 And this cute little panda love....our sweet Maryn.

As we journey through this season of Christmas, we are trying hard to remember the true reason for the season!  We are thankful for our family and friends and for the birth of Jesus Christ!

Everything with Chapman has been a process.  She is precious in every aspect of the word and the more I get to know her, the more I fall in love.  Because I loved my time each evening with Maryn as she fell asleep on me during our first year home, I thought I would do the same thing with Chapman.  I looked forward to being able to hold her each night and have that moment of just me and her.  However, she let me know our first night in China that she would be going to bed alone and there was no need for her to be held.  She screamed, in fact, as I went to hold her in my arms before bed.  So, I stepped back and let her do things her way - she wanted to go to sleep on her on in her bed by herself.    Three months in, and this little girl LOVES to snuggle with mommy at night and just before her nap. She used to get so upset if I would sit down with her.  Now, she lays her head on my shoulder and we rock until she is either sound asleep or almost sound asleep.  And she will say, "Kiss" and "Hug" to be sure we do both before I put her in her bed.  Slowly, she is learning to be loved and to show love.  To think, we could have missed this.....my heart is so happy we didn't!

Three Months With Chapman

Three short months ago, we walked into the lobby of a government building in Shanxi, China, and there, after seven months of paper chasing and praying for her, we finally got to lay eyes on our Chapman as she toddled into the room to greet us.  It is simply amazing to see a picture that you have stared at and studied for months come to life right before your eyes.  

Three months ago, this baby girl knew nothing of the life that awaited her and she really knew absolutely none of the love that was about to be bestowed upon her!  A mommy, a daddy, two brothers, three sisters, four grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. etc. etc.

Little by little, she has been introduced to all of the above....and three months in, she is saying, "Hi!" and "Bye, Bye!" to all who will listen.  And she still has the most angelic little voice when she speaks!

Three months in and these two sisters are learning love and jealousy are two very strong emotions! Ha! Maryn truly adores Chapman and uses the sweetest little voice when she is trying to calm her or play with her....on the same hand, Maryn is not so sure about sharing her mommy with this sweet girl just yet.  So, we spend quite a bit of time on the floor with both girls on my lap!  Or, when out and about, if both girls need to be held, I hold them both.  Anything to keep them from melting! And especially anything will be done to keep them feeling safe, secure and loved!

Three months in, and this girl is full speed ahead.  Chapman had surgery to untether her spinal cord on October 19.  I am so happy to report that she has regained all of her mobility back and then some! This girl is a busy one!  And, as always, we tell the children to please put away everything they treasure, even candy, because Chapman is curious about anything and all that is within her reach.  In the picture above, Chapman had gone into one brother's room, retrieved a pack of candy....I knew this and totally underestimated her ability to get the candy open.....but this girl was determined and she opened the bag and inhaled the goods!  Skittles are yummy!

Three months in, and try as we might to get a good napping schedule going, it just isn't a real possibility.  So, this lady naps mostly in the car as we shuttle this brother, or that sister, or all of the above to and fro!  Thankfully, she doesn't seem to mind and she sleeps 11-12 hours each night!  

Three months in and we were sure for her to meet Mr. Noah.  Noah is such a light in our lives and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to visit with him and his two big brothers for a few hours over the Thanksgiving holidays!

Three months in and this girl loves being in the kitchen!  Our bookends remind us of one another.....Colin was always into my pots and pans at this age while this little Miss is all about some good Tupperware. 

Three months in and our sweet girl is all about trying on clothes whether they belong to her or not!  Dress up, hand-me-downs, big sister's clothes, shoes, shoes and shoes!  She loves it all!

And she thinks footie pajamas are pretty amazing too!

Three months in and we have decided she is definitely a keeper....she is the cutest, sweetest, most willing little laundry helper around!  

Three months in and she has seen all of the toys we have to offer so she has moved on to getting into things that aren't necessarily toys yet make lots of fun to play with anyway, like shoeboxes!

Three months in and this little one is experiencing life as a two year old should.  She reaches out to me each morning to hold her until she is fully awake, when she calls out for "Mama" she knows I am going to answer her every wish and command, when she wants to play, we play; when she is tired, this little one cuddles up on my shoulder and drifts off to sleep; when she is hurt, she looks for me to calm her and kiss her boo-boo; we know what makes her laugh, we know her favorite foods, we know what is going to scare her and we know exactly how to comfort her. 

 Three months ago we met a very emotionless little girl...she came to us without any hesitation though she knew nothing of who we were.  Can you imagine?! 

Three months in and we can't imagine life without our Chapman!

She is a gift to us, a beautiful little gift.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above...."

James 1:17