November 24, 2011

It's been one year since our family of four left for China to become BamFam5!!  This year has gone by so very quickly!  It really seems like yesterday that Trent's Mom and Dad took us to the airport before dawn on Thanksgiving morning.  We were all so excited as we jumped out of the van for a few more hugs before we hurried in to check our luggage and find our gate.

Thinking back to the other 2 airport trips...everyone in both of our families went with us when we left for Russia for Mary Ashtyn.  Airport security was nothing like it is now, and everyone sat at the gate with us until we were ready to board.  Our Russian princess was the first grandchild on both sides, so we were all sooo excited!  Three years later, airport security had changed drastically in just a few months.  We left for Kazakhstan in December 2001, just a few months after the terrorist attacks.  My Mom and Dad stayed home to keep Mary Ashtyn while Trent's parents took us to the airport.  I will admit that it took several nerve pills to get me on that plane, leaving my sweet girl and missing my brother's wedding was horrible.  Trent's parents couldn't get anywhere near the gate this time because of the tight security.  As we got in line to check in, we looked back to see Mr. Tommy sobbing...we ran back for more hugs.  We knew Reece was worth it, but we were all terrified!

The trip to China was so easy for us!!  With both of the big kids going with us, it was much easier to get on that plane.  Although our Thanksgiving lunch was airplane food, we didn't mind at all!!  We were on the trip of a lifetime, on our way to bring home the sweetest Chinese treasure.

First plane on our long trip to China

Early morning breakfast at the Birmingham airport

Long wait in Chicago with very few Americans...reality set in, we're going to CHINA!!

Our new Chinese friend, George.  Trent and I were meeting other parents traveling to adopt and looked up to see George talking to the kids...they were totally freaked out!!!  LOL

Looking great after a very long flight to China...waiting for the final flight to Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.

We loved every minute of the two weeks that we spent in China and we can't say enough about the perfect little souvenir that we brought home, Lily Joy ChunHang Bamberg!

 Snuggling on the couch watching Christmas movies one year later,

so thankful for our sweet miracles!

To celebrate Lily's Gotcha Day, I'm going to try to post some pictures that we never got to share while we were in China.  Start reading here if you'd like to read our posts while we in China last year.

Sweet Memories

On Monday, November 5, Trent's Daddy lost his battle with cancer.  The last two weeks have been so hard.  Although he had been sick for a long time, it's hard to say goodbye to someone we love so much.  The hardest thing is watching the people I love most in the world hurting and not being able to do anything to make it better.  My kids are just so sad, my husband is heartbroken, and my mother-in-law is lost without her best friend.  We all miss him so much.

We can take comfort knowing that he's in no more pain and that we will see him again.  When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!!

The sweet memories that we have are even sweeter now. 

Silly Lily Strikes Again

Our blog hasn't been updated in over a month!!  That is terrible, but it's been a terrible month full of sick kids, missed work and surgery (not Lily, this time)!    Maybe I'll blog on all of our woes later, but right now I just want to remember  some of Silly Lily's latest quotes.  This girl keeps us laughing, even when things around us aren't funny.  

School Picture Day~Lily's First

Lily's favorite thing to say lately is "yeah, baby"...we hear this all they time!  

She was snuggling on the couch with Reece and Mary Ashtyn watching a movie, looks over at me and says, "I love having my kids at home".  

While watching Barbie Rapunzel, someone on the movie says that they don't even know her name yet.  Silly Lily says, "it's Rapunzel...now you know"!!

She loves telling stories, they all start with "one up on a time".  

Our family picture in the lobby of the Garden Hotel (China) is our computer wallpaper.  She was looking at it the other night and was rubbing the picture of me and saying "I like my mommy, I like my mommy so much".  I have a scar on my neck from a surgery I had this month.  She rubs my neck on the picture, looks at my scar and then says "but I liked you better before they cut you throat"!

There is NEVER a dull moment at our house...I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Never Tired

I love this silly little girl more than words can ever say.  

She melts my heart when she tells me, "you my best friend in the whole wide world, Mommy".  When she gets home from school, she always has a big hug for me and is ready to snuggle.  It makes the long day without her all worth it.

Mornings are a little different.  She does not like to get out of her warm bed.  When I get her up, she always says, "no, it's too dark, it's not bright yet".   I told her that we had to get up early to be on time for school.  Of course, she asks, "can you change it to not be early?".  Don't I wish!!  LOL  Silly Lily is not a morning person!

Tonight as we looked for Halloween costumes, she picked out several fairies.  She was so excited about the wings.  She told me she wanted to fly.  I explained that the wings weren't real and wouldn't really work.  She insisted that she really wanted to fly.  Then she said, "I want to fly, so I can go by myself.  When everybody gets tired of picking me up and holding me, I can just fly".  Oh, my sweet girl...we love you so much!!

I pray that Lily realizes that families are forever and we will never get tired of holding her and loving her.

God Sets the Lonely in Families

Psalm 68:6

 We'll never be alone or without someone to carry us.

Praising God that His plans are perfect.  He brought our little family together from all around the world.  

Please whisper a prayer for Trent's Dad tonight.  I hate cancer.

9 Months

Nine months ago, we were in China meeting our Lilybug!

Lily celebrated her 9 month Gotcha Day with a visit from the Tooth Fairy!!

I am amazed at how much she has changed.  Physically, she's gained 5 pounds, lost 2 teeth, and her hair is so much longer and healthier.  She pushes herself to get stronger everyday.  Her language is great!!  She understands almost everything that is said...if she is confused and needs clarification, she will let us know!  She speaks in full sentences and gets her point across.  Some things haven't changed, she is still bossy, bossy, bossy and charms everyone she meets with her sassy personality.

9 months later, I am still so thankful to be her Mama!  God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave her to us!

First Week of School!!

School started back on August 20.  We officially have an eighth grader, sixth grader, and a first grader!  I can't believe that Mary Ashtyn started her last year of middle school.  Next year, she will be in high school!!!  Reece loves 6th grade.  This is his first year to change classes and it's going great.  Lily is rocking first grade!!  She is making friends and loving every minute of school.  What a blessing that all three of them are so happy with school this year.  I am slowly getting back into the work routine and it's not so bad :)

Open House, she was so proud of her desk!

Ready or not, here comes Silly Lily!!

Sweet girl raising her hand

 

 

 

 

 

Worn out after her first day of school

Reece opened his locker on the first try...one less thing for this Mama to worry about!!

Mary Ashtyn will march this year with the BCHS band!!  Love these CRAZY friends :)

Marching in the band, twirling for CMS...busy, busy,busy!

We are looking forward to what the 2012-13 school year will bring.  With our three miracles, it's never a dull moment for BamFam5.  Thank goodness!!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho....

I woke up at 4:00 this morning to check on the kids during a thunderstorm.  Mary Ashtyn and her spend the night company weren't fazed by the storm.  Teenagers can sleep through anything!!!  As I moved into Reece's room, where he and Lily slept (she asked to sleep with GuGu last night), she was sleeping all snuggled up to him.  It took my breath away to watch them sleep.  So sweet and quiet!!  If you know these two, quiet is very unusual for them!!  Lately, Lily has even been talking in her sleep.    

I have always loved to watch my babies sleep.  As I moved around to kiss them, Lily woke up and needed to turn over.  She is sleeping in knee immobilizers now to help prevent knee contractures, so it's harder for her to move herself in the night.  Her leg was hurting, so I took the brace off and rubbed her knee for a few minutes.  She looked up at me and puckered her little lips for a kiss.  Oh, how I love this sweet girl.  After I took her to the restroom and got her tucked back in bed, my tears started  and now I'm sitting in the dark sobbing.

I started back to work yesterday and it's the hardest thing I've ever done.  We've faced some tough things in the past 9 months between hip surgery, a body cast, and a Muscular Dystrophy diagnosis.  Nothing compared to walking out the door yesterday and leaving my kids after getting to be "just" their Mom for so long. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my job, the people I work with, and especially the kids that I have in speech therapy!!  I was so glad to see my co-workers yesterday and I'm looking forward to seeing my students again after so long. 

It's just different now.  Our life is so different.  There are walkers, standers, AFOs, knee immobilizers, a Cough Assist, and a portable suction machine scattered throughout our house.  There is even a placard hanging on my rear view mirror for handicapped parking.  There is a little girl who I had not even held in my arms a year ago that I love so much now it hurts!!  More than anything, my heart is so different. 

Lily makes me realize how fragile life is and that we need to enjoy every minute of it.  I honestly don't want to spend all day without her.  Where is Ellen or Oprah?  Anybody got connections to get them to pay off our house, car, and adoption loan so that I can stay home??  ANYBODY??  Yeah, me either!!! 

My heart is here with Mary Ashtyn, Reece, and Lily Joy...but my paycheck is there, at my job.  So, it's off to work I go.

Pray for me today and for the other Mamas that you know leaving their babies and heading off to work, it's tough sometimes.