Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day is one of those tricky holidays. While I have had many beautiful Mother's Day moments through the years, I have also had moments where I felt overwhelmed, inadequate, unappreciated, exhausted, bitter... you get the idea! In talking to my friends, I have found that I am not alone in this. Celebrating motherhood can often make us feel those kind of feelings for various reasons.

Maybe it's because I've struggled with those types of things that I'm even more grateful today to be sitting here feeling overwhelming gratitude and joy.  My life is not in any means perfect or perfectly put together.  I have struggles and trials and sadness and lots and lots of messes!  But I get to be a mother to the most amazing children!  Taylor, Parker, Jessica, Jacob, Emily, Elli, Graci, Xander, Lexi, Sophi, Cali, and Conner-- you will never know how much I love you! You are perfect for me. The joys and the trials you bring to my life are just exactly what I need to be perfectly happy.

I am forever grateful that our Heavenly Father chose me to mother these precious spirits, and I am so grateful that I chose to do it! Being a mom is such a sacred privilege. There was a time in my life where I would reply to the questions, "So what do you do?" with, "I'm just a mom." Now I answer, "I get to stay home with my kids and be a full time mommy!" I am so grateful for this blessing that many moms do not have.

Sometimes I struggle with comparing myself to other moms. It is very, very easy to see my own weaknesses in the strengths of my friends or sisters. But I am getting so much better at appreciating and applauding the talents and strengths of the mothers around me without bringing myself down. So to all of those mothers in my life-- neighbors, friends, and relatives-- thank you for your beautiful examples! I love being around you, because you make me want to be a better mom. Thank you for uplifting me and making me feel loved!  I value you so much!

There are also women in my life who desire to be moms but for various reasons are not. I know that these women will someday have the desire of their hearts, even if it is not in this life. I love this quote from Sheri Dew:

When we understand the magnitude of motherhood, it becomes clear why prophets have been so protective of woman’s most sacred role. While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve “the mother of all living”—and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality, righteous women were endowed pre-mortally with the privilege of motherhood. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us.


To my own perfect mother-- Happy Mother's Day. To my wonderful mother-in-law-- Happy Mother's Day. To Grandma Larsen--Happy Mother's Day. To all of you amazing women in my life-- Happy Mother's Day!!!

To the birthmothers of my children-- Happy Mother's Day.  I love you more than words can say.

And to my dad-- thank you for loving my mother!  And to Jeremy-- thank you for loving me!

Bad Words

Yesterday Xander asked if he could play with a certain friend.  I told him yes, then proceeded to ask him a bit about this friend.  "Is he a nice friend?  Does he ever do anything inappropriate?"

"Well..." Xander started, looking nervous.  "He does say the 'b' word sometimes."

A bit shocked that Xander even had knowledge of that word, I replied, "Oh?  And what would that word be?"

Xander whispered, "butt."

"I see.  Well that's a word that is ok in most families.  Anything else?"

"Sometimes he says the 'd' word."

Again feeling a bit panicked, I asked, "And what would that word be?"

"Dumb."

"Hmmm.  Ok."

"Sometimes he says the 's' word, too."

"What 's' word, hon?"

"Stupid."

"Well, ok.  I think you can still play with him."  (;

Xander, looking relieved, began to walk out the door, then turned around and hesitantly added, "And Mom-- sometimes he even says 'ugly'."


LOL

So just a few minutes ago, Jessica walked in with Xander and said, "Mom, I think Xander said a bad word, but I'm not sure.  Is 'tooter' a bad word?"

Suppressing a giggle I replied, "No honey, that's not a bad word."

Jesi's reply:  "Ohhhhh.  Good to know!"

So grateful for the innocence of these two sweet kids!

That Explains Some Things...

I was getting into our 12-passenger van when I felt a little hand come over the back of my seat.  I reached up and found a candy wrapper sitting on my shoulder.  Glancing around, I saw that it was Lexi.

"What was that for, Lex?"  I asked.

"I'm done with it."

"Well I don't want your garbage."

"Then just drop it on the ground!"

Perhaps this is contributing to the often challenging task of keeping our house in order.  As I thought more about it, I realized that a wrapper on the floor really wouldn't be that offensive to a blind person.  Now, a big pile of toys on the other hand...

Random

This morning when I went to get Elli out of bed, she was nowhere to be seen.  For just a second, my heart dropped.  It's amazing how much can flash before your eyes in one second... was she playing in the toilet?  Had she snuck into Daddy's office?  Was she climbing on food storage shelves?

Then I realized that there was breathing coming from somewhere nearby.  I soon found our Elli, sound asleep under the bed with blankets stuffed around her so that there was no way I could have seen her.  Elli, Elli, Elli...

Graci is dying for a pet.  This girl is asking me every single day, multiple times in a day.  I've already ruled out a dog (thanks in part to many of your comments) and a cat is definitely out of the question with Jer's allergies.  At this point, she has asked for a tarantula, hamsters, turtles, fish, bunnies, a parakeet, and a snake.  We haven't ruled it out yet, but I am trying to be very careful about this whole thing.  I told her she needed to research about all of the pets and narrow it down, then come up with a plan about where she is going to keep the pet, how she is going to pay for the food, how often she has to clean the cage, how she will take care of it, etc.  I am so afraid that she will be enamored with whatever pet she chooses for about 2.5 days, and then resent it for the rest of its life.  She is very responsible, but she doesn't enjoy cleaning "gross stuff." And really, we don't have room for a pet in this house.  But she is sooooo insistent that it is important to her, so I am torn.  Ugh.

We are SO proud of Xander!!!!  He is playing baseball this year, and it is machine pitch.  He really struggled for the first three games and didn't get a single hit.  Last week he said that he was the worst player on his team.  Jeremy asked, "Who told you that?" and he replied, "Nobody.  I just know."  Sigh.  Jeremy and the boys worked with him in the backyard and something finally clicked.  The last two games he has gotten on base four out of five times-- all off of solid hits.  I was jumping up and down the first time-- I am just so happy for him! Go, Xander!!!

On Monday, Jessica had to get four teeth pulled out at the dentist.  It was quite the ordeal.  When we told her that morning (yes, we waited until the last possible minute) she was absolutely distraught.  I mean just TERRIFIED.  I talked her through it, and what finally got her to calm down was talking about how much money the tooth fairy would probably leave her that night.  She actually ended up doing much better than I expected at the dentist.  That night, she was so excited to put four teeth under her pillow and was thrilled to get ten whole dollars!  Well, this week is teacher appreciation week at Jesi's school.  Jessica has been begging to go and buy something for her teacher.  Finally last night she said, "Mom, I have such a great idea.  You can take me on a Mommy Date to the store and we can buy some dry erase markers for Mrs. Critchfield."  She had on her puppy dog eyes, and Jer was kind enough to put the littles to bed while we went to the closest store-- Walgreens.  We found the dry erase markers and found that they were nearly $12 for an 8-pack.  I was planning on buying little gifts for all of the other teachers as well  and didn't want to spend that much, so I convinced her to buy clorox wipes instead.  We got enough for all the teachers, then went to the chocolate section and picked out some nice chocolates.   We wanted to include all of Lexi's and Elli's helpers, so we had to buy 17 of them.  (This didn't even include Taylor's and Graci's teachers.)  Again, Jessica asked if she could please buy the dry erase markers, insisting that her teacher absolutely needed them, but I explained how much everything was going to cost and that it would just be too much money.  When we got to the checkout, Jesi turned to me with bright eyes and exclaimed, "I know!!  I can use my tooth fairy money, and then you will only have to pay $2.00 for the markers!"  She was so excited, and of course I let her get the markers.  She smiled all the way home and picked out a pretty ribbon to tie it all together with.  I thought she had forgotten about the tooth fairy money (and honestly I wasn't really going to make her pay me)  but this morning she came in my room first thing and happily handed me her $10 bill.  I'm telling this story to convey how much she LOVES her teacher.  I mean, she just worships her.  Almost every day as I do her hair she says, "I think Ms. Critchfield is going to just love my hair today, don't you?!"  It is so sweet.

Sophi is back in preschool twice a week for two hours after being off track for a month.  I must say, it is good to have her back in school!  That little break can do wonders for my psyche!  It is why I'm able to blog this right now!  Soph is really growing up.  Some of the phrases that come out of her mouth just crack me up.  She keeps me on my toes, as she repeats everything I say!  (;

Lexi continues to worship "Erin C."  Whenever she is sad, she wants me to rock her and make up songs about Erin C.  We're so grateful she has a best friend!

Taylor and Parker are doing GREAT at baseball this year.  Jeremy is their coach, and I'm not sure who loves it more- the boys or him!  They are both in the top league and they play against some really tough competition.  They lost their first game 18-3 against a coach Jeremy hadn't ever beat.  It was a rough start, but they went on to win their next several games.  Their last game was against the same team that killed them the first game and who was undefeated.  It was pretty intense and ended with a win-- for US!  The team was so excited, and I knew I could milk it for all it was worth that day because it put Jeremy in such a good mood.  (;

On the adoption front...

Our homestudy is completed and at USCIS.  We had our fingerprints taken earlier this week and are now just waiting for our I171.  Once we receive that, we'll get all of our documents authenticated and translated and then they will be sent off to China.  We're still looking good for December travel!  Conner and Calais are in our thoughts and prayers every day and we can't get them here soon enough!  We're still praying for a miracle to get a bigger home before they come and we have faith that it can happen if it's His will for us.

Thank you so much for all of the supportive comments about our new adoption and particularly about our little announcement video!  For those who have asked where to find it, you can now view it from the sidebar by clicking under "Meet Conner and Cali." We have been so grateful for the support and kind words!
 

Aspirations

At one point in my life I wanted to be President of the United States.  (Can you even imagine?!?)  When I got my first real sales job, my goal was to eventually be the CEO of that major corporation.  While I appreciate those who do fill such important positions, my vision for my life has changed dramatically as my family has grown.  Even before we left for China the first time, I could see that I enjoyed  my kids far too much to follow career paths that required such extensive time away from the family.  There was also a period where I wanted to run a marathon.  I have talked to several people who have done this (or even an Iron Man triathalon!) and their experiences have been tremendous.  But at this point, I don't think that a marathon is for me (although I did run my first 5K last summer and might attempt one of those again).  My knees are a bit banged up for such punishment.

But I do have a passion, one that I can share with my wife and (some of my) kids.  Hiking to the top of tall mountains!  I love it!  I can't explain the rush I get from it.  It is a magnificent, even spiritual experience for me.  I definitely enjoy a beautiful viewpoint that can be accessed by driving to it, but there is something amazing about the view that you have had to work for.  For years now, Taylor, Parker, Christi and I (and sometimes Christi's brother, Matthew) have back-packed in to the Lone Peak Wilderness and camped overnight.  We don't go to the top of Lone Peak, but we climb about 2500 feet in elevation and get to a spectacular viewpoint.  We treasure this experience, and it is a tradition that I hope continues for years to come.  (The boys always ask me how long I'll keep doing this hike and I tell them my goal is to be able to do it until I'm 70!)  I have set the goal to get to the top of 7 of the mountains along the Wasatch front (the mountains along the east side of the Salt Lake Valley and Utah Valley) by the time Parker graduates from high school.  Our goal this year is to peak Mt. Timpanogos. 

Last summer we got to the top of the first of those seven mountains:  Y mountain in Provo.  This is the mountain that has the "Y" on it above BYU campus.  We have hiked to the Y before, but never beyond it.  We set out on this amazing trip in the afternoon, knowing that we would reach the top before dark, but would need flashlights on the way back down. We climbed about 3500 feet in elevation and hiked about 10 miles.  As we were going up, there were times I wondered what I had gotten us into.  But once we reached the summit, there was no question whether or not it was worth it.  We were exhilarated!  What a treasured memory.  I am sure we will do it again.  Here are some pics from the trip:

Ready to get started!

The view looking up from the "Y"

On the "Y"

Utah Lake in the background

We went in October and the colors were gorgeous!

Mt. Timpanogos in the background

We made it!!!

My honey loves me:)

I mentioned that is was a 3500 foot, 10 mile hike.  That was for Christi and the boys.  I got a bonus adventure!  When we were back at the Y (about 2/3 of the way down) Taylor suddenly realized he had left his backpack with our $500 camera in it at our previous rest stop.  At this point, it was pitch black.  The camera was probably a mile and half and 1500 feet behind us.  What to do?  At first I just resigned myself to a lost camera.  Then I thought of the pictures and really wanted to get it.  Maybe I would come back on Monday and retrieve it.  But we were already at a point that was halfway to where the camera was.  So I went and got it that night.  By myself.  In the dark.  There's a reason the BYU mascot is the cougar.  Yes, I was a bit nervous.  Made plenty of noise so as to scare any large predators away.  I almost picked up two sticks and started hitting them together (think Parent Trap:).  In the end, all was successful, although I looked like I was about 95 years old as my creaking knees hobbled down the final mile of the trail.

All in all, it was an unmatched day.  I am so grateful for my three fantastic friends and travel companions.  Love you guys!

The Tree

Now that we have announced our newest additions, I want to point out the symbolism of the tree in our header.  If you count, you will find 10 little birds perched in the tree, representing our 10 beautiful children on earth!  There are also two little birds flying-- a perfect reminder of the freedom our Jacob and Emily have as their spirits soar through the heavens.   I love it!  (:

Beautiful Blindness

My mom is in town from Oregon for a couple of weeks.  Yesterday we visited some relatives with her that we hadn't seen in years.  It was a great visit.  They are a wonderful family and it was good to catch up with them.  Their daughter is getting married soon to a BYU football player, and of course Taylor and Parker wanted a picture:

  It will be fun this season to have someone on the field we can root for personally.

My mom, always proud of her kids, gave me the delightful opportunity of singing a couple of original songs without the benefit of my guitar.  Nothing better than an amateur singer/songwriter crooning unknown musical works acapella.  But it's mom.  How do you say no?

The highlight of the night was Lexi's interaction with their son, Brad.  When Brad was in high school, he had a catastrophic football accident that has left him almost completely paralyzed and with every little communication.  I would guess that some children would be a bit hesitant to approach Brad and interact with him because he looks different.  But Lexi absolutely fell in love with him.  She talked to him and wanted to sit in his lap.  He was able to move his arms enough to wrap them around her in a hug.  I believe he even tried to hold her hand.  It was very touching.  But the best part was the singing.  Lexi sang some of her children's songs from church.  These are songs that Brad also grew up singing.  I had no idea that Brad could even move his lips, let alone sing, but I looked up and noticed that he was mouthing the words with her.  It was a beautiful moment to behold.  When I listened closely, I realized that Brad was actually singing.  It was very soft, but very clear.  Then I realized that in order for him to make this sound, his mother had to help him.  She had to push against his diaphragm so the air in his lungs would come out with enough force to create the sound.  With that help, he was able to sing along with Lexi.  Once Lexi realized how this worked, she insisted, "I want to help Brad!"  So Lexi pushed his chest and helped him sing along with her.  It was a tender and special experience.

How grateful I am that Lexi is blind to the disabilities of others.  How grateful I am that she is blind to the inhibitions that prevent many of us from expressing the interest and love we feel towards those around us.  May we all develop such blindness.

Overheard...

Jessica:  "Xander, I'm very sorry, but I'm going to have to tell you something that will break your heart.  Maya's dad is a dentist and today he told us that Jolly Ranchers are the worst kind of candy for your teeth.  I know...breaks your heart, right?"

Boys Will Be Boys

Yesterday morning Taylor comes in breathlessly excited.  "Dad, where's the camera???  Parker is stretching out Xander's face with his feet!!!"  Uh-huh.  Of course he is.

Growing Up

I love it when kids repeat something beyond their years that they've heard someone else say.  The other day I was talking with Sophi (I don't even remember what I said).  She looked up at me and said "Daddy, weally?"  with the voice inflection of a disinterested teenager.  Wonder where she could have picked that up...

(This is her "camera smile" these days:)

Ramen Noodle the Poodle

I had the most tender experience earlier today.  Sophi was having one of her moody mornings.  It was a doozy.  I finally put her on the couch in front of the TV and tried to ignore her incessant whines.  I know, great mom.  I came in my room to check my email and found a message from someone who I've never met, who wanted to know if I had heard of "Ramen Noodle, the two-legged poodle."  She said it reminded her of Sophi.  I actually had seen a video of him before, but hadn't shown Sophi.  I went and got her from the couch and brought her to the computer.  I pushed play on the video, and her face slowly went from Miss Grouchy to Miss Sunshine.  She was enamored, and after a few seconds with her face glued to the screen she said, "Look, Mom!  It's a Sophi dog!"  Bless her heart.

She kept asking for more, so I kept showing her more videos of Ramen Noodle, then moved on to other animals with missing limbs.  She was totally captivated.  After a little while, she planted a tender, sweet kiss on my cheek-- just out of the blue.  I was so grateful for this thoughtful email that allowed me to have such a precious moment with my Sophi, and turn her frown upside down.  (:  Thanks, Janet!

All About Conner

I'm so excited to tell you a bit more about this phenomenal boy!  I must start out by saying that we do not have pre-approval for him at this time.  We normally don't announce our adoptions until we've reached that very important step, but his pre-approval may take a little longer than usual, and we just couldn't wait any longer to share our video!  Let me explain the situation:  An adoptive mom from America was in Hubei a few months ago to get her son.  She went to visit his orphanage, and while she was there she saw our sweet boy playing the piano in the corner.  She thought he was incredible,  and asked the director if she might video him.  The director gave permission and walked over and told Wu Jia Xia that there was an American family who wanted to videotape him.  He asked him to play a "western song."  Jia Xia then wowed us with the theme from the Titanic.  If you didn't catch on from the video, Jia Xia is blind.   I have no idea how much "training" he has had, but holy cow!  He's just eleven, and he can't see!

When I first saw his video, my world just stopped and I had tears streaming down my cheeks.  I immediately knew that this was someone special, and that he already had my heart.  I called Jeremy and told him, "Um, hon?  I think we have a son too!"  (This was about a day after deciding on Cali.)  Jeremy had already thought we should get two again this time, and I had said that there was no way!  But there was something about this special boy that captivated us both and made me yearn for him to be our son.

So this is the issue:  Jia Xia does not have his paperwork completed for adoption.  We have had contact with the orphanage director, who is thrilled that we want to adopt him.  He has promised to put everything together as soon as possible.  We have been approved in our homestudy for two children, and our agency is on board.  So we are just awaiting Jia Xia's paperwork to be finalized before we can be officially "matched."  At this point we think of him as our son, but we know that we need that important step to happen before we can be 100% confident that he is!  We are praying every day for it all to work out quickly and according to God's will for him and for us.

Taylor and Parker picked the name Conner.  It obviously keeps with the tradition of ending in "er," which was important to them.  I think it's a good, solid name for Jia Xia!  Allen comes from Jeremy's father-- just like Rose came from his mother.   Perfect!

We really don't have any information on Conner besides the video and the few words from the director and the lady that videotaped him.  We know that his birthday is in July and that he is 11.  (This would make the ages in our family 13, 12, 11, 11, 11, 8, 7, 7, 7, and 3-- yikes!)  He is apparently very sweet-natured and hard working.  He has been at the orphanage longer than most children there.  He reminds us very much of Lexi.  In fact, we think they look pretty identical in their profiles-- especially from when Lexi had the same haircut as him!

I will post his sweet video here.   Scroll down to the bottom and pause the blog music first.   Be ready to fall in love-- we sure have!!!

 

The Quest

So many times I had stood there with longing eyes, unprepared.  Why, oh why was I not one of the chosen few.  Was it simply a matter of preparation?  If I demonstrated the same dedication and willpower would I see the same results?  Those who succeeded in the quest did not look any stronger or more educated than me.  They did not have any obvious talent that made them stand out from the crowd.  And yet they had done it.  When the time of testing came, they had the correct answer.  They were ready!!!  And when my turn came, I hung my head in shame, unprepared for the bounty lavished on the victors.  Day after day, week after week my sorrow grew.  When would I step up and make the effort?

And then yesterday I took a stand.  I could do, would do this thing.  I had the strength within me.  I knew the glorious results that awaited!  I will do what it takes!  I will come off conqueror!

It took time, as all good things do.  I pored over the materials needed for success.  I found all the resources I could.  I made notes, both mentally and on paper.  I organized my results.  And then I went forth.  Waiting my turn, the anticipation mounted.  Beads of sweat started to show on my forehead.  Would it really work?  Could I have the same power, almost magical, I had seen others wield?  And then it came.  My time.  I approached.  The question came:

"Welcome to Walmart.  Do you have any price matches?"

"YES!!!!!!!!!"

All About Cali

I am so excited to share with you some more details about our Cali Rose!  I will start with her name.  First of all, over on the announcement video on youtube, someone asked a great question today.  He said, "Why would you change their names?"  We have had a few people ask us this question over the years, and I'm happy to share our reasons.  I think that the majority of adoptive parents have found that their newly adopted child prefers to be given an American name.  I know there are exceptions to this, but after spending a lot of time on adoption threads, I really think this is the case most of the time.  There are a few reasons that older children specifically have given for this.  First of all, it is difficult for people to pronounce their Chinese names, and that can quickly become annoying or frustrating.  Secondly, having an American name can make them feel more like their new family and friends-- they feel like they fit in better.  Third, it gives them a fresh start.

All of this being said, we feel like it's important to give the older child a choice.  When we adopted Graci, we told her (through a translator) that we loved her Chinese name, Wang Chun Ling, and thought that it was beautiful.  We told her that we had also chosen an American name for her, and that she could choose which one she wanted to go by.  For the first few days, she wanted to be called Chun Ling.  It wasn't long before she changed over to Graci.  For awhile, we called her both, but she quickly got tired of how Jessica pronounced her name "Ching-a-ling"  (we thought it was cute!) and would tell her, "No, I Graci!"  She now loves her American name.  At nighttime, when we tuck her in, we still call her by her Chinese name as we do our little bedtime routine of, "Are you my little Ling Ling?"  We do this with all of our kids from China.  Every child is different, and Lexi and Sophi were particularly adamant that we not call them by their Chinese name.  It took quite awhile for them to answer to it at nighttime.  I think it's all about that fresh new start and having a name that sounds more like those around them!  Many families choose to keep part of their child's Chinese name in their American name.  We did this with Elli (Elizabeth Mei.)  We also kept part of Lexi's (Alexis Li.)  But with the others, we had names that we loved that were meaningful and we opted out of using their Chinese name in them.  I don't think they feel slighted at all.  They just know they have an American name and a Chinese name.  In fact, I've asked Graci if she would like to incorporate her Chinese name into her American name, and she has declined.  All this being said, I know that some children and parents feel differently, and I think that is fine too!  Whatever works is great.  I'm sure that there are some children who want to keep their given name in some form or other and others who don't.

So, the best part of this, is that we actually have had the HUGE blessing of skyping with Cali!  We have never been able to do that with any of our other children, but because of some various connections, we were able to do so with her.  We asked her through her nanny if she would like to keep her Chinese name or if she would like an American name like our other kids and she immediately said that she wanted an American name.  We will give Conner the same choice.  So I hope that answers your question, Johnathan!  (:

Speaking of names... it took us FOREVER to decide on sweet Cali's name!  When you have lots of people in a family you have lots of opinions!  We discussed Lillianne "Lili", Olivia "Livi", Meredith "Meri", Isabelle "Issi", Madison "Madi", Adaleigh "Addi", Miriam "Miri", and more.  We liked them all for different reasons, but have finally settled on Calais Rose (at least for now!)  When I was young, I fell in love with the name Calais.  It is French, and my dad is a French teacher.  I loved the way it sounded (pronounced Ca-lay, with the emphasis on the lay) and the way it's spelled.  I told my Grandma Nelson that I wanted a Calais someday, and she fell in love with the name too.  She never let me forget that I wanted a Calais, and brought it up all the time.  When we found out we were having a girl (Jessica) she was really surprised we didn't name her Calais, but assured me that I would have my Calais someday.  She died about a year later, and I can't think of the name Calais without thinking of her.  I loved, loved, loved my grandma and she makes me love the name Calais even more.  As far as the nickname Cali, as I'm sure you've gathered, all of us Green girls have a nickname ending in an "i."  Well, except for Emily-- when she was born, I spelled her name "Emmy" (we hadn't really established the trend yet) and it feels weird for me to change it.   I LOVE the name Cali.  One of the sweetest girls I knew growing up had that name (spelled Callie) and she reminds me so much of Tang Min-- sweet, smart, and gentle.  Cali means "beautiful" and "lovely" which are both very fitting for our Cali.  Also, I found a website that claims that the name Cali originated from China-- perfect!  The middle name Rose comes from her Grandma Rose (Jeremy's mother) and also his sister, Tiffany Rose.  I think it suits Cali perfectly.  So there ya go!

On to Cali...  Is she precious or what?!!!   We sent her a care package a couple of months ago to let her know she was getting a family.  All of the kids wrote her letters, and we sent some fun goodies. According to her nanny, she was VERY excited and a little scared.  I would personally be terrified, so I'm proud of her for being "just a little scared!"  This girl is sweet beyond words.  Skyping with her was such a beautiful experience.  Her little high-pitched voice just cracked us up!  She seriously sounded like she was 4 or 5 years old.  She was so shy at first, but warmed up a little at the end.  We found out that her favorite color is pink, her favorite food is corn, and that she loves spicy food, girly things and princesses.  Our girls are SO excited!  She is apparently a whiz at computers and knows how to do power point presentations, but hates math.  (:  She attends a special education school because the regular school isn't wheelchair accessible, and she was very excited to learn that every school in America is wheelchair accessible!  She is 11 years old, and her birthday is in October.  That would mean she should attend 6th grade next year, but we are still unsure whether we'll put her in 5th or 6th.  We'll determine that later.

Cali has spina bifida.  From what we understand and have seen in videos, she can stand up for short periods of time and can walk just a bit if she can lean heavily on something.  It will be interesting to see what kind of therapy and help she will receive here.  I'm sure we have lots to learn.

My favorite part of the skype session was when we said "we love you" and she replied in her sweet little voice in English, "I love you, too!"  Melted our hearts.  We are told she is working very hard on learning English so she will be prepared to come to America. I'm sure it will still be very limited, but we are so grateful she is getting a head start!

The story of Cali's history is her own story to tell, and I'll let her choose later whether or not to share it as she gets older.  As far as us finding her, that is quite a story itself!  It involves miraculous events  with a dear lady named Kristen.  We will be forever indebted to her and to God for weaving such a beautiful story.  I will open up about that later as the time is right.

We love this precious girl and are so grateful for the privilege of being her family.  We can't wait to bring her home!!!

Here are a few pictures of the care package we sent her, and pictures of her taken over the last three years:

Tomorrow will be All About Conner time, so tune it. (: