The End of Winter?

It has been a looonnnngggg winter for us in more ways than one. Being I've been such a horrible blogger through it, I decided I'd try to catch you all up. So here we go!

December was a busy month and covered just about every emotion. Our 9 year old great niece lost her very heroic battle with cancer. Random turned 15 and Lily had another surgery.
A very special box from Japan arrived for the kids with the instructions that they had to wait until Christmas to open it! Inside was a gift for each of them from our exchange student Tianyu. Here, the girls model their gifts!

Anyone who lives in Minnesota can tell you that this has been the winter of snow. There was so much of it and it was so heavy that the Metrodome deflated. It looks quite sad whenever we drive by!

January brought a celebration of our great niece's life and a fundraiser for her family. As you can see, the kids had a wonderful time!

February brought Mango's 10th birthday. She is getting so tall, but has retained all of the joy, friendless, and silliness that she came to us with. (Ignore the laundry baskets in the background - they are clean!)

This is Cooper. He doesn't normally sit still. You know that saying about "it would be like herding cats"? Well, this dog does herd cats - especially when they manage to escape outside. The cats do not appreciate it at all, but the humans find in hysterical every single time!

March brought Lily's 13th birthday, so we are now a three teenager household. All prayers are appreciated.

We are hoping March will also bring the end of the snow. We are supposed to have temperatures in the 50's this week. Mango and Monkey spent some time outside this evening building what (we hope) are the last snowmen of the year.

As you know, March also brought news of the horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The morning we woke to the news, we talked with Tianyu on Facebook. She was home alone, riding out the frequent aftershocks, and waiting for her father to return. I wanted so badly to be able to give her a hug and make it better. (Actually what I wanted was to somehow magically just transport her back here.) By the next morning, we had heard from each of our recent students to know that they and their families are okay, but feeling very devastated. Please do not grow weary of praying for these people and their country. It is not just a far-away place, it is a place full of very real and very hurting people.

Christmas Eve 2009

The day of Christmas Eve was spent dealing with and digging out from several inches of snow. Later that afternoon, we headed to my parents for good food, conversation, and gift-opening.

Seely and Random both received cash locked inside of a puzzle box that they had to figure out before they could get their hands on the money.

Mango got her long-awaited Wowee Lion Cub that she has named Baby...when she wasn't wearing the box.

It was a great evening!

Decorating the Tree!

Normally, we decorate the tree on the day after Thanksgiving, but DH had to work that day this year, so it fell to today.

Our tree is far more heavy laden than it was just a few years ago. My mom buys each of the kids an ornament every Christmas to commemorate a special event of that year. With 5 kids in the family and with Seely now experiencing his 17th Christmas, that adds up to alot of ornaments and alot of memories. They enjoy pulling their ornaments out of their box and remembering when they got each one.

It is also a tradition to chose a unique tree topper each year. Past years have included items from trips we have taken, a momento of a special family event, etc. It always makes for an interesting family discussion as we talk about our past year and decide what is "worthy" of topping the tree. This year the decision of what tops our tree is not so much a momento of the past, but rather one of hope for the future....

It is our family's hope and prayer that when we look back on this picture in the future that it will be a reminder of God's faithfulness in adversity and of a victory over cancer.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2

A Tribute to My Husband, and the Men who are Like Him

Someone passed just passed this on to me yesterday, and it is certainly worth the read.

The Men Who Brought the Children Safely Home - A Christmas tribute to adoptive fathers
Author Unknown

"My son Christian was searching the bookshelves yesterday, apparently frustrated by the dearth he saw there. Since we have well over 1,000 titles at his disposal, I wondered what was missing.

"There's hardly anything on Joseph here! I understand why we need so many Mary books, but nobody says much about Joseph, you know? And he was a hero … " he trailed off.

A hero indeed. Though I hadn't spoken it, I had been meditating lately about the heroic good of Joseph and the Nativity. Commonly, we look at the story of Christmas as a birth story: We have a round- bellied Madonna riding on a donkey until she gets to a cave where animals joyfully welcome a lovely baby. As a mother who has been nine months pregnant during Advent and a mother with a newborn on Christmas Day, it is easy for me to identify with the birth story.

But the Nativity story is also a story of adoption. A strong man heard the call of a God to take into his heart and home a baby that was not his biological child. Against the raised eyebrows of those around him, but because he dearly loved his wife and the God they served, he traveled a great distance. He wasn't sure what he'd find there; to say that the accommodations were less than what he was used to is to understate the case. And then, almost immediately, it was his job to rescue the baby, to save him from grave danger.

Once they were safely at home, he raised the child as his own. He shared the faith of his fathers; he taught him the family trade. Certainly, there were challenges in this family that related to the adoption. This child, at 12, left his adoptive father for three days to return to the home of his Father. How many children of adoption have experienced that same restlessness and caused the parents who have rescued them the grief that Mary and Joseph felt while they searched for their child?

Joseph was faithful. Perhaps he recognized that we are all children of adoption. We are all broken, disenfranchised, wounded and in grave danger. Our Savior makes us brothers and sisters, heirs to His throne. We become one family of faith, like that little family in Nazareth so many years ago.

When I look at the fathers in adoptive families, I am struck by their courage. Adoptive moms assure me that adoption is rarely ever a man's idea. And it is almost always an idea born in a woman's heart. The longing heart of a mother meets the sorrowful heart of a child and together they begin a new life. But how do they get to "together?" They become a family through the courageous actions of a man who sees the heart of his wife and listens to her as she tells him about the pain of the child. Rarely, do these women beg and plead. Rather, like Mary, they trust God. They pour out their hearts in prayer and God convicts their husbands. The program director for a Catholic adoption agency assures me that this is not the case of weak, badgered men who cave to whining women. Rather, they are tender, brave men who recognize the need and hear a distinct call.

The father who adopts is strong and faithful. He travels to places like Kazakhstan, Russia, China, Guatemala and even hostile Africa. He saves the baby — often from abject poverty, illness or death. He is the Joseph of our times.

There are literally millions of children in this world who need rescuing. We are called in James 1:27 to care for the widows and the orphans. What does that mean exactly? Do we toss a few coins in the poor box or wrap an extra gift at Christmastime or do we take a risk? Are there brave men out there with the heart of Joseph who will travel great distances to difficult places to rescue a baby and give it a home all because it's the will of God? It is the will of God. These are the weakest of us, the poorest, the most defenseless. In this country, we cannot fathom children who scurry along the murky puddles in Haiti scavenging for a few slender fish, only to come up without anything. These children are so malnourished that their hair turns orange and falls out in clumps. There are "dying rooms" in China where children who have cerebral palsy or missing hands or missing ears are left in the dark to starve to death.

And what will become of the children who grow up orphans if we do not have men like Joseph in our midst? According to Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation begun by Christian music legend Steven Curtis Chapman, who has adopted three daughters, "Statistics regarding the future prospects for children who emancipate from orphanages, the foster care system, or who grow up as street children are profoundly bleak … . Theft, prostitution, homelessness, substance abuse, incarceration and suicide affect the lives of the vast majority of those children who grow up as orphans and never find permanent, loving homes. In short, orphans by definition are children who for whatever reason have found themselves in need of permanent, safe, and loving families. And for such children, being taken in by a family through the "spirit of adoption" is their greatest need"(http://www.howtoadopt.org/).

They were going to stone the mother of God. Joseph knew the baby was not conceived by him. He didn't understand it. How could this baby be his to raise? How could he be asked to overcome the opinions of his community, the misgivings of his own mind, and listen to the call upon his soul? Where would he find the courage? How could he possibly provide for the childhood of the child of God Himself? Why couldn't this be simple? Why couldn't he marry Mary and just conceive a baby? Instead, he must set off on a two-year odyssey to distant and hostile lands to bring home a baby that didn't even look like him. And what of the future? This was an extraordinary way to build a family; how could he know what the future held, particularly with a beginning like this?

A hero? He was a hero. He was a strong, courageous, man of faith. And there are men like him today. They are Paul, and Joe, and Mark, and Chuck, and Scott, and Kevin, and Ed. They are ordinary men who are called to extraordinary measures for a humble, helpless child and the love of the woman who becomes the child's mother. They are the men of the Christmas story. God bless them!"

Christmas Morning 2008

Merry Christmas! If you want a beautiful reminder of what today is really all about, click here for an awesome video clip. It's about 4 minutes long, but is definately worth seeing.
Here are a few more pictures from our gift opening this morning. We will soon be leaving here again to spend the rest of the day with family.

Monkey before and after opening the Space Chimps DVD...

Mango reading that she can now get her ears pierced....

Random with his new stash of reading, viewing, and listening materials...

Lily opening her Crammer, which has, amoung other things, the MP3 player she has been REALLY wanting.

Seely got a jersey with his name on it (Funny how we paid money to have it put on, only to have to edit it out for the blog photo!).

Christmas Eve Photos

We headed out to my parents house for dinner and to exchange gifts. We had an extra special surprise as two of my cousins who we hadn't seen in awhile were able to join us, including a new baby boy born to one of them just under a month ago. It was a great evening! Here are a few glimpses into our time together:

A Merry Christmas Homecoming

Three years ago today, we arrived home with Mango and Monkey, just in time for Christmas Eve. All of us being together that day was the best Christmas present I've ever received, and we are truly grateful for the two little lives that joined our family that year.

May all of you have a very blessed, and merry Christmas this year. Wherever you end up celebrating and whoever you celebrate with, may you take a moment to focus on the true reason for Christmas - Jesus.

A Visit to Santa

So it finally occured to me today that we hadn't yet made our annual trek to the local mall to see Santa. When Seely and Random were very small, we would go to the mall on Santa's very first day, and watch him arrive on a fire truck, complete with sirens and lights. As we've added more children, and as they've gotten older, we've kind of abandoned (ie. forgotten) that tradition, and make our Santa visit when the crowds are smaller. The kids all finished up their school work quickly today, so shortly after lunch, all but Seely loaded up and headed off to the mall.
Santa was "napping" when we arrived, so we did some window shopping in the pet store, and then went to get in line. Finally, we caught a glimpse of the jolly old man himself walking down the hallway, and were able to take our turn. All of the kids actually seemed very underwhelmed with the whole experience, and it made me wonder just how many more trips to see Santa we will be taking before they all lose interest.


You'll notice that Santa is not even looking at the camera. In fact, Santa very deliberately did NOT look at my camera. Apparently, he is not allowed to do so unless you are purchasing the (very expensive) photographs that they sell there. And I thought getting four kids to look the same direction at the same time was difficult!?!?!??!!

A Coleman Christmas Party

Just over three years ago, we made a desperate call to Senator Norm Coleman's office when our immigration paperwork for Mango and Monkey hit a big snag. The embassy in Manila had misplaced some of the kids' paperwork, we were concerned about Mango's skull condition, and we desperately wanted our children home for Christmas. His office was wonderful to us, and after a fax or two on our behalf, the kids' visa paperwork was processed quickly, and we were able to travel just in time for Christmas.

Every year since, we have been invited to the "Home for the Holidays" party that Senator Coleman throws just before Christmas. All of the adoptive families his office has helped in the past are invited to come. It's a wonderful chance for him and his staff to see, in person, the children they have helped, and we enjoy the chance to thank them, with the hope that seeing the beautiful faces of our kids will give them the desire to continue to do this important work. He truly is a kind and caring man, and we are very grateful for what he and his office did for our family.

Enjoy the pictures of the party!

Snacking on some treats while waiting for the senator...


Senator Coleman, and the entire group sing "Happy Birthday", to Random.


Story time with the Senator.....

Monkey got an especially close view!These family pictures are hung in his office.

Peef the Christmas Bear

Every Christmas season, we always try to take in a Christmas play or performance together. Last night we attended a play called Peef the Christmas Bear. It is a story by a (fairly) local author, about a multi-colored bear, made by Santa, who gets and grants a very special Christmas wish. A friend from the church youth group did a great job as one of the elves, so that made it even more fun to see! Her family joined us, and we all went out for snacks, sodas, and a time of fun and laughter afterwards. (You rock, Cora!)

Holiday Get to Know You

Someone passed this holiday questionnaire along. Feel free to cut and paste the questions for your own blog or an e-mail! Be sure to send me back your answers!

Here's the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. I'd prefer bags, but the kids prefer having wrapping to rip off, so we wrap most of our gifts.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. With several asthmatics in the house, we've been told to not get a real one.
3. When do you put up the tree? Weekend after Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day (we need the space back!)
5. Do you like eggnog? No. Yuck.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hmm.....the one I remember most was the year I got the toy truck I asked for!
7. Hardest person to buy for? Don't really know!
8. Easiest person to buy for? Random, Mango and DH's mom
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. It is not up, because the kids and the cats run off with the pieces.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Neither - though we usually intend to mail. :-)
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Socks.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I really haven't seen most of the famous ones.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Between Halloween and Thankgiving, with the serious shopping usually taking place after Thanksgiving.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, but only as a joke. Remember that ugly fruit statue thingy, Mom??????
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? French silk pie.
16. Lights on the tree? Color or White? Colored, on a pre-lit tree.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home. We are lucky enough to have much of our extended family close by.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donor and Blitzen, and of course Rudolf.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither. Our tree topper is unique every year.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve with extended family, Christmas morning with our immediate family
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People who take the Christ out of Christmas and replace it with an X; grumpy shoppers and sales people.
23. Ornament theme or color? Neither. Our tree is mostly decorated with ornaments that my mom has bought each of the kids each year.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham and cheesy potatoes on Christmas Eve, then crackers and cheese on Christmas Day.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Nothing really (but if you are desperate for ideas Caribou gift cards, or Amazon gift cards so I can buy more books for my Kindle!)

Decorating Our Tree

It is our tradition to put up and decorate our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. These last couple of years, it has also been our tradition to be a day late on our tradition! Here are a few photos of the kids getting the tree ready.




On our very first Christmas together, DH and I realized we did not have a star for the top of our tree. We glanced around our apartment and settled on the cake topper from our wedding cake. Every year since, we have put something unique on the top of the tree, something that represents an event or something special that happened that year. This year, the kids suggested something from our trip west to Wyoming last May. So this year, our tree topper is.....(drumroll, please........) a postcard of Mt. Rushmore and a jackalope!

Harvest Dancing

On Friday, the 31st, we all headed off to church for the annual Harvest Fest. The kids have carnival games, and there is a Bible Walk where they go to different stations to gather candy creatively related to a Bible story. For instance, they were given Milky Ways after hearing the story of Creation, and how God created the stars. They were given Snickers after hearing how Sarah laughed at being told she would have a baby at 90 years old, and lifesavers after hearing the story of Jesus dying on the cross to save them. A good time was had by all. Seely dressed as himself and helped run the carnival games. Random dressed as a nerd by taping nerd candies to himself and using his father's nerd pajama pants as a candy bag. Lily was a doctor. Mango a princess, and Monkey was his hero, Spiderman.

The next morning, Lily and Mango had to be back at church early because the worship dance team was performing for a conference held at our church. It made for a rather busy, but fun weekend!