Pictures

This is a repeat of a post from January.  This particular post was getting so many anonymous "check out my blog" comments that we deleted the original and reposted it here:)


First of all, I want to say that I had a very good reason for not writing last night.  I'll leave it at that!  But because I promised 50 posts in 50 days, I plan on doubling up one day--- sound ok?  (:

I've realized that we never did post the rest of our pictures from China.  As you may recall, we had a lousy internet connection there and had a super difficult time posting pictures.  So... this is a catch-up post to satisfy the grandmas' desires to see more China pics!

Us with Graci's "China Mama" and "China Baba" (foster parents for four years-- we LOVE them!)

Jesi holding Ling Long (Graci's "neice")  Notice the spread on the table-- this wasn't the kitchen table, just the table in the living room.  It was ALWAYS filled with all kinds of food that they were constantly offering us.  Such AMAZING hostesses!

China Mama and Baba and aunt and uncle-- taken in the aunt and uncle's home

Jesi and Ling Long-- they referred to Jes as Ling Long's "Auntie Jessica" (;  and as you may recall, they refer to us as Ling Long's "America Grandma and Grandpa"  Ha!  I didn't think I would be ready to be called "Grandma," but honestly, I loved it!  It was so much fun to hold her and realize that many of our own grandchildren could look so much like her!

Jesi was seriously like a rock star at Graci's former school.  The kids would touch her hand and then sway dramatically as if they had just touched the hand of Taylor Swift.  As you can imagine, Jesi ate it up.

"China Brother" holding Grace and Bei Bei (Graci's friend)

At a zoo in Hangzhou-- they don't exactly have the same safety precautions there as in America.

Feeding carrots to the bears!

One of my all-time favorite pics of one of my all-time favorite people-- Graci's "China Grandma"

Saying goodbye at the airport is always so hard, especially for China Mama.

Our "guide" turned friend, Sara, is on the left.  We LOVE her, and she has become part of Graci's China family since our initial adoption trip to get Graci.  They have taken her in as one of their own--  she was even there for the birth of Ling Long.

Gotcha Day-- taken moments after seeing Cali for the first time.  Such a beautiful moment.

Taken right after Cali was saying her goodbyes to her house mama, top left.  Lots of tears.  Such a brave little girl.  It broke my heart to watch her sadness-- I can hardly bear to look at the picture even now.

Taken the day after Gotcha Day, when we returned to the Civil Affairs office to make it all official!

Cali signing the papers saying she wished to join our family.  I believe Jeremy blogged about how special this was to watch...

Beautiful handwriting!

Ok, I just LOVED this family!  They were from Spain and they were seriously one of the cutest couples I have ever met!  This is their second day being parents-- beautiful!

We were given this gift of calligraphy by one of the officials to celebrate the finalization

Meeting Cali's biological relatives.  Above right is her grandmother.  Between Jeremy and myself is her auntie, and the man is the auntie's husband (whom she doesn't really refer to as "uncle")

Cali and auntie

Cali and granma

Saying goodbye.  I am happy to say that it wasn't really hard for Cali-- as Duna (far right) said, she was already much more comfortable and happy with our family at that point.  We were so grateful for the opportunity to meet them, but Cali isn't really interested in keeping up a strong relationship at this point, which of course, we honor.

Xi'an smog-- ugh! 

Cali's scarf was given to her as a going away gift from her house mama, and she wore it all the time.  (:

Ok, this doesn't even begin to do it justice, but this is a pic of the Terracotta Warriors.  One of the most amazing things I have ever experienced.  This is just one building out of three.

The girls (especially Cali) thought it was extremely funny to have me be their "dog."  The lady in the pink coat was our guide.

It was soooo cold and we had been walking a long time.  Cali was so sweet to offer to let Jesi ride with her.

Out of the cold into beautiful Guangzhou

Pedal boats

 

We always get such a kick out of the English translations on signs!

Signing out!

Time

What can a child expect from a parent?  Food.  Shelter.  Clothing.  Perhaps most basic of all:  love.  Why do parents love their children?  Simply because of the titles “child” and “parent?”  Flesh and blood bonds?  Because a child is so cute and perfect and helpless when they first arrive in this world?  This morning I read something that resonated with me.  “The deep love that binds parents to their children is forged by service to them through their period of total dependence.”

So how does a parent forge that love when their child comes to them long after the period of total dependence is over?  How does one welcome a 9-year-old or a 12-year-old into their home and instantly love them?  Can it be done?  How? I am sure that the answer is different for virtually every adoptive parent.  Some parents are more patient than others.  Some may have a greater capacity to love.  Some parents have an innate ability to see past difficult habits and behavior patterns a child may have developed and see right into the heart of the child. 

For me, I look at this journey as having two distinct parts.  First of all, I recognize that I have a duty, an obligation to love my children.  I’ve talked to enough dads that I know I’m not alone in this.  When our first biological child came along, I most certainly loved him.  Taylor was beautiful and precious, a gift from heaven.  But he was also smelly, cranky and an awful sleeper.  After a couple of months, I realized that my bond with him was less than I had hoped a father-son bond would be.  I loved him as a son, but the deep, meaningful relationship that Christi seemed to have with him just wasn’t there for me.  I felt kind of like a failure, and here I was just a few months into this whole parenthood thing. 

But I persevered.  Christi was patient with both of us.  I tried to do my duty and serve our little Taylor.  And then something happened.  He started to recognize me.  He got excited when I came home from work.  We could play one-year-old games together.  He began to talk.  I could make him laugh.  Suddenly, part two of the journey began to fall into place.  Part two is simple: time.  Time with another human being allows a deeper, richer relationship to develop.  Time allows mutual understanding to occur.  Time gives opportunities to serve, to help, to coach.  I’ll never forget something my brother Matt said when he came to visit us in our home in Spanish Fork.  He and Carla brought their only child at the time, a three-month-old son, with them.  Matt saw me playing with Taylor and made the comment:  “Oh.  I see you got the interactive model.”  Matt’s dry humor is something I’ve always enjoyed:).

I had a beautiful moment with Graci yesterday, and she had no idea it even happened.  When we first got Graci, I loved her.  I was grateful for the opportunity to bring this precious little spirit into our lives.  But I quickly realized that although she was about the same age as Taylor and Parker, I didn’t and couldn’t have the same relationship with her that I had with them.  While I could fully love her as my daughter, I had not had the chance to spend the time with her that I had with the boys.  It was impossible for an adoption certificate to recreate hours and hours and years and years of parks and parties, lectures and lessons, cuddles and comforts.  An adoption certificate simply can’t replace nine years of life lived together.

Yesterday morning as we were reading scriptures, I was sitting next to Grace.  She’s not big into hugs and such, but I put my arm around her and pulled her close to me.  She stayed cuddled up next to me.  As I sat there, I suddenly realized that the time barrier was gone.  We had spent enough time and gone through enough life experiences together that, for me at least, we could round up to a “lifetime” of being family.  It was a beautiful realization.  I’m so glad we get to spend the rest of our lifetimes together.

Jeremy

Groundbreaking Recap

Ok, so Monday was seriously the most PERFECT evening!  Our hearts were just so full of excitement and gratitude and giddiness that we literally danced around our house when we got home!  Before I recap the evening events, I want to say thank you to a few people who helped make that night extra special:

Chrissy Probst, Julianne Rawlins, Lauren Hardcastle, Meghan Voss:  These amazing women planned, coordinated, and carried out the evening events.  These are my GIRLS!  I LOVE these beautiful, amazing women! We decided Friday morning to do this ceremony, so they had exactly three days to pull it off.  They are angels and wizards!

Bret Wright from Huish Construction:  We seriously love this man.  He didn't know us when he first saw a post on facebook asking for help and he has stepped forward as the builder-- a job he has already spent hours and hours and hours on.  He is donating all of his time.  Truly, Bret is one of the greatest guys we have ever known.

Jamie and Mickey from Walker Home Design:  These are the guys who have drawn up the plans for the home.  They are INCREDIBLE.  (The guys AND the plans!)  Again, this has been done free of charge.  Holy cow.

Jodi and Amber from Children and the Earth:  These women are so selfless.  Their foundation gives and gives and gives without the overhead that many foundations have.  They have been amazing to our family and because of our affiliation with them, people are able to have their donations be tax-deductible.  They have blessed our lives tremendously.

Munchkin Radio:  Mike was called Friday afternoon and was able to fit us in to his busy schedule for free.  He is an amazingly talented guy and his music/prizes/games kept the night fun for the kids.  All of my kids love this guy.

Great Harvest Bread:  These guys are so great!  They donated 200 huge and super yummy cookies for the event.  They are also helping with fundraising at their store.  WOW.

Honeyville Farms:  Donated the hot chocolate.  These are the same guys that have helped us with flyers,  fundraised $2,000 AND donated some food storage.  Amazing!

Karman Schulz Photography:  Took all the awesome pictures I'm about to post.  Karman has also agreed to do a time-lapse photoshoot of the home going up.  (:

Mia Love:  I know.  Can you believe Mia Love came?  This lady is the real deal.  She was so thoughtful and sweet and personable and wonderful with our kids.  I have no doubt she will continue to do great things in our community and nation.

Holly Richardson:  "Holly on the Hill" has been generous enough to share her insights and connections with us during this project.  Holly and her husband have adopted TWENTY kids (wowza!) and when their home was destroyed by fire, their community (Pleasant Grove) did their own "Extreme Makeover" for Holly's family.   It was Holly who shared this project with Mia Love and many others.  Thanks, Holly!

Coralee Moser:  A city councilwoman who has been so supportive of this project.  Such a nice lady.

Jill Kynaston:  Ok, I just had to mention Jill specifically because I was so impressed by her.  Jill is a blog reader from Payson (an hour away) that messaged us awhile ago to offer her brother's help on the project.  She is the sweetest lady ever.  I've never met her, but she drove all the way up here from Payson with her three adorable littles just to be here and support us.  Seriously.  Can you believe that?

Russ and Candice Smart:  These two amazing people are not only our laundry fairies and surrogate grandparents for our kids, they have also offered to do outdoor lighting for our home-- we are THRILLED.  Last night they came over to our house to drop off laundry and we visited for awhile.  After they left, Jeremy said, "I have to say, I'm so in love with those guys."  Perfectly put.

FRIENDS:  It made me feel SO GOOD to have friends and neighbors come out and support us.  Thank you to EVERYONE that was there.  I wished I had had the chance to thank you all individually.  We are so blessed to have you in our lives.

Ok, and I'm not sure how appropriate it is to thank our Heavenly Father on the blog rather than privately, but I just have to point out that we woke up to lots of snow on Monday morning.  We had so many people praying that things would clear before the groundbreaking.  At about 2:00, I spoke to Mike from Munchkin Radio who thought that he probably needed to back out because of weather.  I looked outside and sure enough, the snow was really coming down.  As you can tell from the pictures, our prayers were answered in a beautiful way.  We even had some sunshine.  God is in the details.  (:


My awesome friend, Julianne, emceed the event.  She welcomed everyone out and introduced many of the people mentioned above.  She let Jeremy and myelf say a few words and of course we both blubbered our way through that.  I was so overcome with emotion and gratitude-- my heart was seriously just bursting inside.   Jeremy dedicated the ground with a most beautiful prayer/blessing.  Among other things, he blessed it to be a place of refuge for our children and others, where they would be protected spiritually and emotionally and that it would be a place of great service.   Parker read a poem he had written after school that day.  It was awesome-- I'll include it at the bottom.  Our family, along with Bret, Tami, Mickey, and Chrissy, were then able to simultaneously turn the earth with gold painted shovels-- how cool is that?   Once we dug a few shovelfuls, other kids came up and took turns while we all visited, had refreshments, and watched the kiddos have a blast with Munchkin Radio.  There were lots of fun prizes given out.

In other words, it was PERFECT.

I wish you all could have been there, but since you couldn't be, here are lots of pictures from Karman:

 The lot

 Lexi meeting Mia Love

 Cali meeting Mia

 Tami and Jodi from Children and the Earth

 Jer shaking hands with Mickey from Walker Home Design.  His son, Jamie is standing between them.

 Russ and Candice (can't really see their faces, but they are our laundry fairies), Bret (our builder) and Jamie (architect)

 Julianne introducing our family

 Me blubbering

 Graci, Bret, Amber and Chrissy (the woman who started it all)

 Cali, Parker, Jer, Graci, Me, Lexi, Sophi, Elli (helping her is Missy, her teacher at church), Xander, Chrissy, Jesi, Taylor, Bret, Mickey and Amber

 Parker reading his poem

 Cali's cute friends:  Rachel, Kara, and Jessie

 Julianne, Jer, and Holly

 Amber, Jamie, me, Jer, and Mia

 Jer shaking hands with Tim from Honeyville Farms

 Coralee Moser from Herriman City

 

Mike from Munchkin Radio

  

Parker's poem: 

Today’s the day we’ve waited for

We’re finally breaking ground

And as I’m standing here

I see great people all around

It was a magical day

The day we got the call

And Chrissy told our family

That she would help us all

Our family is quite special

With lots of different needs

Well, this house will take care of that

I hope you all agree

Like in the house we live in now

With Cali’s wheelchair

It’s hard for her to move around

And it really isn’t fair

Elli is amazing

We all love her so much

But in our house right now

She ruins all our stuff

When we build our new house

She can jump and sing and play

She’ll do that in her special rooms

That will brighten up her day

This is the greatest miracle

That we have ever known

And we just want to say

We love you, Puzzle Them Home!

Conversation I just had...

Sophi:  "I'm so lucky to have a Mom!  I love you really lots!"

Me:  "I'm so lucky to have a Sophi!  I love YOU really lots!"

Sophi:  "Mom, I love being your daughter.  Thanks for adopting me, cuz I don't wanna be alone!"

Me:  "I love being your mommy.  Thank you for letting me adopt you!"

Sophi:  "You make my heart soooo happy!"

(:

And just so you know we are real-- the morning was also filled with plenty of whines from this sweet girl of ours.  (;

I will blog about this weekend and the groundbreaking soon.  I'm just waiting for pictures.  (:

--Christianne

Groundbreaking!!!

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

Today is the day!  In just a few hours, we will be breaking ground for our amazing new home!!

(Insert squeals, giggles, tears)

Please feel free to join us for this event!  I hear that there might be a couple of fun surprise guests there!   Here is the official info from Puzzle Them Home:

It's Time to Start Building!

We are pleased to announce that our contractor is officially going to break ground for the Green's new home on Tuesday, April 16th!  We at "Puzzle Them Home" want to thank you for the part you have played in the success of this project!  We couldn't have done it without you!

To celebrate, we are hosting a Ceremonial Groundbreaking Party on Monday.  If you live in the area, we would love to have you join us in the celebration.

Date:  Monday, April 15th
Time:  6:00 p.m.
Location:  14627 S. Knapper Way (6500 West) in Herriman (this is an empty lot, but the address shows up on Google Maps.)

In addition to the groundbreaking "ceremony" the following events will also be taking place:

• Munchkin Radio will be there with music, games and a prize wheel!
• Refreshments will be served.
• We will be creating a time capsule, so we are asking those in attendance to write a note or draw a picture for the capsule.
• We will be collecting the following items to send to Chinese orphanages:
  • Bibs
  • Summer clothes
  • Shoes and toys for children age newborn to 18 months
  • Hand towels
  • Light cotton blankets for summer
• We are also inviting the media to come and document this event.

Items of Business

1.  We have the results of Graci's MRI.  First, let me give you some background.  When Graci was six years old and still in China, she was taken to the hospital with a severe headache, nausea and loss of movement on her right side.  Her paperwork said she was treated for a cerebral abscess and that a follow-up MRI showed that everything was normal.  We hadn't really given a lot of thought to this event (her heart problems were a much bigger issue) and I had just filed it in the back of my head.  Of course, I did let the neurologist know about it and he immediately thought that it might be related to the seizures.  As it turns out, the MRI proved him correct.  Graci has tissue damage in the left frontal lobe of her brain.  The damaged area is about the size of a ping pong ball.  Upon viewing the MRI, the neurologist was quite surprised that she hasn't had other complications (besides seizures) from it, but being as how she hasn't, doesn't expect her to now.  She is now considered high risk for additional seizures, but because there is no way to know for sure if she will have them, we have chosen to forgo preventative medication for now.  After all, she went 8 years without a seizure-- what if she goes 8 more and didn't need meds?  If/when she does have another seizure we will change course and begin seizure meds.   If those don't control the seizures then surgery is an option, but it doesn't really sound like that's something we need to be thinking about at this point.  The initial abscess was likely related to her heart disease-- something I never would have put together.  Overall, I am very peaceful and happy about the results!  We have a reason for her seizures, a course of action, a fantastic neurologist-- and it's not something progressive like a tumor.   (:

2.  This Saturday will be very special for our family!  Lexi, Xander, and Cali have all chosen to be baptized.  We are so happy for them and their decision to follow Jesus Christ.   Anybody is welcome to attend.  It will be held at the Rose Canyon Stake Center on April 13 at 10:30 a.m.  Following the baptism we will have a light luncheon at the church.  Then at 3:00 we will have Cali sealed to our family at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.  If you would like to attend any of these events, could you please let me know as soon as possible by leaving a comment or text or email?  I'm trying to get an idea of how much food to make.  (:

3.  I received an email last week from a sweet lady who has a heart for orphans.  I'm going to copy a portion of her email: 

I work with an orphan ministry called New Horizons for Children which brings orphans to America to live with host families for 4-5 weeks several times a year. After 10+ years of hosting from Eastern Europe we recently launched our China program! Our second hosting period from China will be this summer and our interview team just returned from meeting the precious little ones we'll be offering for hosting. We've been blessed to be let in to many special needs orphanages in China, something I know is very close to both your hearts. Our photolisting just went live this morning and when I saw this little boy the first ones I thought of were you!
Cheng Chu was born without arms, just like your sweet Sophi!! I was wondering if you'd be willing to help us advocate for a host family for him? I know how many lives Sophi has touched and thought your blog might be the perfect platform to help spread the word:)
I attached his photo and here is what his bio says: Cheng Chu. What a precious, precious little boy! Don't you just want to pinch those cheeks??!! He was very interactive with the interview team and made great eye contact with all. Though a little shy at first, he warmed up quickly and was great with the other kids. This sweet boy has a rather noticeable physical handicap- no arms- but it doesn't slow him down in the slightest. The interview team has video of him playing with Play Doh with his feet and he can also draw and play games using his feet as hands. He is articulate and smart but was a little overwhelmed at the end with all the attention.

He'll be available for hosting anywhere in the U.S. from mid July to the third week of August. It's $3150 to host a child from China. Cheng Chu as well as most of our other China host children are available for adoption should a family decide they'd like to adopt, but we are a host only agency and are only looking for the 5 week commitment at this time (though we hope and pray that many, many children will be adopted after the host program ends)!!
For more information on Cheng Chu or our other waiting children families can fill out our pre-application to host: http://goo.gl/3oAsa or check out our website at: http://www.newhorizonsforchildren.org/. 

Ok, so I read about this program and it sounds awesome but expensive!  It looks like there are grants you could apply for to help with the cost, so if you're interested but the cost is prohibitive, you should email them and ask.  Wouldn't it be cool if someone close to us fostered Cheng Chu so he and Sophi could meet?  (:  Here is his picture:

--Christianne

Sophi's Perspective

Sophi was cuddled up in my lap as we sat and watched General Conference.  She looked over at the large picture of her we have in our living room.  It's the picture we first saw, the one with the haunting eyes and plaintive expression.  Her in the orphanage.  Then we had this conversation:

Sophi:  "My birth mother left me alone, didn't she?"
Me (a bit taken aback):  "What?"
Sophi:  "My birth mother left me alone, didn't she?"
Me:  "Yes."
Sophi (with a big smile):  "Thanks, Dad, for adopting me!"
Me:  "You're welcome."
Sophi:  "You're my favorite."
Me:  "You're my favorite."

Wow.

-Jeremy

As I blog this, Sophi is standing next to me in her completely obtrusive, lean-against-you, use-you-to-help-her-keep-her-balance sort of way.  Her head and chest continue to push against you, up under your arms, against your legs.  She just kind of worms her way into your space.  This doesn't even take into account her non-stop chatter.  It takes some practice to learn to appreciate this, but I'm getting pretty good at it.  As I searched for the picture in iPhoto, Sophi was looking with me.  When I found it, I pulled a copy onto the desktop to make it easy to put in the blog.

Sophi (very offended):  "Why you take the picture out of me?!?"
Me:  "I just need to put it there so I can put it in the blog."
Soph (completely mollified):  "Oh.  Thank you, Dad.  You're so kind!"

I love her way of saying things:)

Perfect Elli

As you know by now, Elli loves to sing:)  One of her favorite songs is "My God Is So Great."  She sings it all the time:  My God is so great, so strong and so mighty.  There's nothing my God cannot do!"  Often she'll just say one phrase:  "my God is so great" or "my God is so good!"  Recently Parker started playing a game with Elli.  He will say, "Elli is soooooo..." and then Elli finishes the phrase.  At first she would use the same words from the song.  "Elli is sooo"..."good!"  "Elli is sooo"..."great!"  But then she started using other words that she hears people say about her.  "Elli is sooo"..."smart!"  "Elli is sooo"..."beautiful!"  My personal favorite is "Elli is sooo"..."perfect!"  And she is.  I don't understand God's plan for Elli.  I don't know why it was His plan for her to live this life in this body, but I do know this:  Elli is fulfilling her potential.  She is doing everything she can.  And by that measure she is indeed perfect.  I fall far short of my potential.  I make mistakes every single day.  But Elli doesn't.  Elli is sooo...PERFECT.

As I am typing this, I am looking out the window at Elli playing on the trampoline.  The best word I can use to describe her is FREEDOM.  She is jumping, spinning and finding joy.  Her hair flies up and down.  Her arms go out to her side.  Her smile is infectious.  She finds freedom as she jumps. And my spirit soars with hers as I watch her.  Elli is sooo...perfect.

Jer

Our Little Butterfly

I woke up this morning to the sounds of Sophi's non-stop talking.  It occurred to me how much she is like some cartoon character.  She seriously never stops talking.  70% of the time it's delightful and sweet.  30% of the time it's whiney or angry and is like nails on a chalkboard.  But as I was listening this morning (she was in delightful and sweet mode), it came to me what a blessing it is for her to be in this environment.  To be in a place where she is listened to and loved.  And sometimes corrected.  I was hit with how different her life would be if she was still in an orphanage.  She is undoubtedly the princess.  Loved by parents and siblings, grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, friends and teachers.  How grateful I am to be a part of her life...a part of her miracle.  I love you Soph!

P.S.  Her "Little Butterfly" nickname came from the short film "The Butterfly Circus."  A beautiful testament to our innate value.

Jeremy

Puzzle Them Home update

Elli.

I don't have to do anything more than say her name to have it evoke SO MANY EMOTIONS.  

I love this girl more than life itself.  She is the source of so much joy in our home.  She is celestial.  She is treasured.  Her singing honestly makes my heart just swell inside.  I love her more than words.

And yet...

I don't think there is any possible way to express just how difficult Elli can be.  I really feel like the only people that can possibly comprehend it are people who have lived with autism themselves.  Combined with her blindness and just diagnosed bi-polar disorder, autism has wreaked havoc on our home.  Let me give you an example:

The other day, I was upstairs while Elli was downstairs playing the piano.  Usually if I can hear her playing the piano I know that she is safe, or maybe more accurately, the downstairs is safe.  (;   I thought about getting in the shower but for whatever reason put it off.  What a tender mercy!  If I had been in the shower, I wouldn't have heard the breaking glass.  I wouldn't have dashed down the stairs to find Elli, standing atop the piano having unscrewed a large lightbulb from the ceiling and crushed it.  I wouldn't have been able to clean up tiny shards of glass all about her before some major wounds could have happened.  But I did hear the glass and I did clean it up and I did end up in the shower.  Phew!  Afterwards, when I went down to check on her, I found our piano music shelf knocked over and sheet music strewn about the room, the huge plastic tub of legos tipped over, and Elli squatting atop the folded up (and now broken from her bouncing) ping pong table, her diaper shredded and scattered amongst all of the music/legos/toys.  This happened in the course of approximately 10 minutes.  I moved her to Xander's/Lexi's/Sophi's room while I cleaned up.  I put her on the bed where she will usually just happily lay and play in the blankets.  When I went to check on her, she had broken Sophi's treasured music box, ripped the pictures off of Xander's poster, and torn a basket into pieces.

I know-- something has to change.  Next week I am seriously gutting the house and getting rid of a lot of stuff just to help with the messes.  We do have a lock on her bedroom and there are times that I put her in there while I need some time alone.   There is not much she can do to her room that hasn't already been done-- blinds, light fixtures and closet doors have already been broken.  Walls have already been dented.   It's a place where I am not too worried about sending her and it has several toys that she likes so she usually enjoys being in there. But it is in the back corner of the house, away from family and noises and fun-- and I just can't lock her in there all of the time.

This is just one reason why I can't even contain the emotions I feel when I think of what Puzzle Them Home means to our family.  Among other things, the house plans include an area for Elli right off of the living room that is designed especially for HER, where she can hear us and be part of our family and have lots of sensory based play WITHOUT us fearing for her safety or the safety of our home.  This room will open to a gated area outside with a play place that is safe for her.  I can't even express what that means-- to be able to let her go outside (she LOVES being outside) without having to constantly supervise.  Plans also include a really big bedroom of her own where we can install a swing, mats for her to tumble on, and other sensory based activities so that when I do need to put her in there, I won't feel guilty because it will be a WONDERFUL place for her to be.  I'm teary just typing it!!!

And then there's Cali-- sweet Cali who has developed huge callouses on her knuckles from scooting around the house and having her hands bear the weight of her whole body (she has to drag her feet.)  Sweet Cali who so wants to be independent-- to go outside without having to wait until one of us can help get her wheelchair down the stairs, to be able to reach a microwave so she can warm up her own food, to be able to go up or down stairs without getting carpet burns, to play games like hide-and-go-seek with the rest of the family without having to stop because she is so exhausted from dragging her body around the house.

I could go on to list what this new home would mean to each child, but even then, I feel like it would do no justice to how we feel about this home and the love and gratitude we feel toward everyone that has been involved in this project.  We are so blessed and happy and ok in the home we are in now-- but it would be life-changing to move to an accessible, custom home.  As it becomes more and more real that this home could happen, I feel more and more humbled by it all and just so, so grateful. I can't tell you what it feels like...

I promised an update on Puzzle Them Home quite awhile ago.  I've had a hard time updating because there are so many things in the works and so many unknowns.  I will try to briefly explain what I DO know:

Monetary donations are at approximately $17,000.00.

In-kind donations (pledges of free labor) are at approximately $120,000.00.

Grants have been applied for, but we haven't received answers.

Bret Wright of Huish Construction is our builder.  He is the GREATEST guy ever.  He didn't know our family, but saw a post on facebook and contacted us to ask what he could do.  He has spent hours and hours of time already and will oversee the project.  He is doing this all without pay.  Jamie Walker from Walker Design has donated the plans for the home.  He and his collegues have also spent hours and hours in our behalf, all for free.  The home plans are AMAZING.  We are dying!  (:

We (Jeremy and I) are currently applying for a construction loan.  The donations (both monetary and in-kind) are making it possible that we can qualify when we wouldn't have been able to otherwise. This loan will cover the majority of the cost of the home.

In order for the home to be finished by the Parade of Homes (a must as we have promised this to those who have donated labor) we need to start digging now.  Our builder would have liked to have started weeks ago.  In otherwise, it is most definitely CRUNCH TIME.  It's PAST crunch time!

The committee is working so hard to secure donations.  There are basically three ways businesses or individuals can help:

financial contributions

free or discounted labor

free or discounted materials 

Financial contributions do not have to be big.  In fact, when we see donations of $5 or $10 come through we are just as humbled as by the bigger donations, as we know that it was likely a real sacrifice. 

Free or discounted labor can mean something as big as saying "We can do all of the cabinets," or "We can provide all of the labor for the roof" or it can mean something like "We can help with a bathroom" or even "I can spend a day sheetrocking" or "My boy scouts can help lay sod."

Likewise, free or discounted materials can have a wide meaning.  Let's take floor coverings, for instance.  It can be anything from donating all of the flooring to discounting the flooring to donating or discounting flooring for one room.  People can "sponsor" a room-- helping to pay for materials or labor for that one room.  

People can give a free light switch.

We also need talented people to help stage the home!  We are looking for an interior designer to oversee the project with many interior designers involved.  The committee has a great idea of letting different designers each choose one room and design it, leaving his/her business cards in that room during the parade.   It would be a great way to showcase a design company.

There's also landscaping.  We have a volunteer who has said he will oversee the work, but we could use many people to help with design, labor and materials.

In other words, there are so many ways to be involved.  Or in other other words, we would love your help!  (:  Or in other other other words, for just this minute I am letting go of pride and fear and worry about what you will think and I am flat-out humbly asking if you'd like to be part of this project.   And you can know that when I say that asking for help is not my favorite thing in the world, it is an incredible understatement.

I should mention that we were just made aware that there was a glitch on the Puzzle Them Home site.  When people tried to use the "contact us" form, it didn't work.  We haven't received any messages since the end of September.  So if you have tried to contact us already, PLEASE forgive us and do it again.  It is now working.  (:

So many people have said, "Let me know what I can do."  Well, I guess it is time for us to answer you!  If you have any connections to businesses or laborers who would be interested in this project, this would be a great time to ask!  Everyone who donates will be recognized in the Parade of Homes.  There will be opportunities to showcase your company by handing out business cards, setting up displays, etc.  If you want to come and spend a morning or an afternoon helping with the build of the home, let us know!  If you would like to approach businesses and let them know about this project, we would love it!  If you know of any other ways to help-- don't be shy!  You will carve a place in our hearts that will always be yours.

--Christianne

Easter

This is not how it was supposed to be.

The plan was to be in Ferron right now, going to a wonderful Easter service with my family followed by a nice Easter dinner that I wasn't in charge of.  I would feel "a good tired" from "Eastering" out in the beautiful Utah desert, four-wheeling and rappelling and Easter-egg-hunting and cooking and visiting and basking in this gorgeous Spring weather.  My kids would be lined up in the pew in their new Easter clothes, a little pink from being outdoors and smiling with memories of one of their favorite weekends of the year.

Alas, I am here.  At my own house, at my own computer.  Jer and most of the kids are at church while I am home with Elli, both of us not feeling too great.  The van is in the shop after having problems on the way down to "Easter."  Friday was a day of packing and getting 8 kids ready (Xander went early with Uncle Matthew and Aunt Megan) and four hours of driving only to end up home with lots of tears on precious little faces.  Suitcases strewn about the house, baskets hidden in the yard instead of the beautiful red rocks, messes made here that were supposed to be made there, huge amounts of scotcharoos in our bellies that were supposed to be shared amongst all of the extended family, and no soft sand to dig new plastic shovels into.

Such is life.  

A life that we can have only because of what we celebrate today-- the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Every day, even the hard ones, is made beautiful through Him.  It is because of Him that we have our wonderful Easter traditions.  An Easter bunny to remind us of the abundance of life that He gave.  Eggs to roll. reminding us of the stone rolling away from the tomb and the new life that it promised.   Eggs to color, reminding us of the beautiful new life we will someday have with our loved ones.  Baskets of sweets to remind us of the sweetness of His gift to us.  FAMILY to love and spend time with.

So even though this was not the plan, I am grateful this Easter Sunday to be sitting here in my home, sick and with a messy house and lots of kids to take care of and with a knowledge of the Redeemer of the world and the event that changed the world over 2,000 years ago.  I love Him. 

Happy Easter, everyone!

Hey, at least I have my Easter weed!  (;

--Christianne

(Xander will get his basket when he comes home from Grandma's, and Elli wasn't up yet when we looked for baskets so I don't have a picture of hers, though she did happen to get the best basket this year!)