Graci Kate

Graci and China Mom and Dad (the foster parents she had from age 5-9)

Thought I would go kid-by-kid and update how each is doing.  We'll start with our oldest...

Sweet Graci Kate has turned SEVENTEEN!  I'm still getting used to saying that!  At the end of last year, she was awarded with the "Courage Award" from her high school.  I couldn't think of a better recipient for that award!  She has shown such courage throughout her life as she's dealt with so many challenges.  Last week, she was asked to be the youth speaker at church.  She wrote her talk all by herself and did such a beautiful job.  She talked about how hard it is for her not to be able to drive because of her epilepsy, but how she knows that Heavenly Father has blessed her so much and how grateful she is for all of her blessings.   Lots of tears from those listening as she shared her sweet testimony in Chinese. 

Graci had a fun summer that included EFY, Girls Camp, Youth Conference and two family reunions, but the highlight for her was this past week when she received some very special visitors from China!  Graci's wonderful foster parents (we call them "China Mom" and "China Dad") along with Sara (our guide when we adopted Graci and on subsequent trips to China) and her husband and daughter all came to stay at our home!  It was such an incredible experience.  During the time that all five of them were at our home, we went to the China market, Temple Square, Cascade Springs, BYU campus, Copper Mine overlook, Thanksgiving Point, and to Graci's high school Chinese class to deliver the dumplings China Mom and Dad got up at 4 a.m. to make.  (:   I believe out of all of the fun things we were able to do, their favorite activity was sitting out on our deck looking at the view and enjoying blue skies and starry nights.  

Sara and her family stayed here for five days and then went on to Chicago.  At this point, we had China Mom and Dad to ourselves and decided to brave a camping trip!!  They had never been camping before and were not sure what to expect, but they were great sports and traveled with us to beautiful Bryce Canyon.  Watching their amazement at the magnificence of the canyon and being able to see the Milky Way at night was so much fun.  Because they don't speak any English and we don't speak Chinese, communication is a little tricky!  Graci, Conner, and Cali were all able to bridge the gaps enough to make it such a great trip.  I'm so glad they still have their Chinese!   Despite them not loving American food (wouldn't even try most of it) and making "interesting" food choices (pickle sandwiches, mayo sandwiches, peanut butter and fried egg sandwiches... all after having a full spread to choose from) I can confidently say that they enjoyed their trip.  It was such a new experience for them as they had never been out of China.  Lots of tears as they left.  We are so grateful that we have maintained a relationship with these most wonderful people.  They couldn't love Graci more-- and neither could we-- so she is one very loved young woman!  (:

Graci at girls camp

At a showing of "Find Me"

Getting the courage award

At her dance recital

Riding a bull

Daddy date to Lagoon

First day of school

Our Chinese guests at Temple Square

China Mom and Grandpa shucking corn

China Dad!

Graci and China Dad eating the "light lunch" they cooked for us after church (think SEVERAL time-consuming dishes!)

China Dad was so sweet with Elli

Cascade Springs

Sara wanted to see BYU campus because of the memories she had of BYU dancers performing in China when she was a little girl

Graci and Cali love to take selfies

Bryce Canyon

Woke up this morning...

...and realized our children are ages 17, 16, 15, 14, 14, 12, 11, 10, 10, and 7!  I crawled back under the covers and hid for a few minutes, but was shortly called to action by a little one who came into our room with an urgent need for parental assistance.  I read a facebook comment yesterday from a parent of a child who had been adopted at an older age.  Someone had asked her how she did everything she needed to do on a day-to-day basis.  Her response:  "Lots of prayer and lots of liquor!"  I wonder how my teetotaling religion would respond if I got a little help from Captain Jack on occasion.  Hmmm. I call on doctors all day for a living.  Perhaps an out-of-the box thinker could prescribe me a little liquid courage.  On second thought, I need to be stone cold sober at all hours of the day or night.  One  never knows when one of our munchkins will have an emergency requiring my utmost and completely focused attention.  Like when one of our hypochondriacs comes in and says, "Dad, if I stand on one leg and tilt my head just right, it hurts in my big toe."  I must ever be on the alert so I can assuage the pain and suffering of poor souls in agony!

Still, I must admit I'm a bit jealous of her prayer and liquor strategy:)

-Jer

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth Mei

Our darling, beautiful Elli turned 11 years old today!  We love her so much!

It's hard to believe that it's been eight and a half years since we went on our very first adoption trip to China to bring home this angel of ours.  We were so excited and a little terrified.  Had we known what the next several years with Elli would bring, we would have been a LOT terrified!  (:  I often say it's good we didn't know about Elli's autism, developmental delays, and bi-polar disorder because we would likely have been too afraid to move forward with her adoption and that would have been a huge mistake.  Elli has blessed our lives in so many beautiful ways.  She has taught us patience and unconditional love and gratitude and so much more-- all in ways that she could not have taught us if she were a "typical" child.   We've recorded some of these experiences on her adoption blog, found HERE.  And others on her "Miracles for Elli" blog found HERE.   (The lack of updates on this blog is not from lack of love.)  Sometimes when I get discouraged with all of the things that are hard about raising her, I go back and read these posts and I am just filled with love for her and with love for my Heavenly Father for sustaining us as we parent her.

She has been our hardest challenge but has brought us the greatest of joys.

Happy Birthday, Elli Belly!  You are so loved!!!!

In case you are wondering, her harness is for the bus rides to school-- it helps keep her safe on the bus so she is not jumping up and down the aisle.  (:  And I just had to throw in a couple of other pictures.  The first one is my very favorite quilt made by my mom, aunt and grandma and given to us for our wedding.  It's huge and warm and the blanket I always give to guests when they come because it's so soft and big.  A couple of weeks ago, I went to put Elli to bed and realized her blanket needed to be washed, so I gave her this one.  As you can see, Elli has an uncanny ability to destroy anything and everything.  Argh!!  That quilt had gone through 17 years of camping trips and guests and cuddles on the couch and was still perfect-- only to be shredded in one night by our Elli.  I mean, there were several pieces of it on her floor!  The next photo is what we often find when we go into her room in the morning-- she has found how to tear up her floor.  Luckily, this time it wasn't combined with her getting into her messy diaper and painting the room.  (;  I can't believe we haven't completely lost our sanity with this girl.   Good thing she's so cute!!!