Time With Babop!

Recently Erik picked up a keyboard for Lillie at a yard sale. It stayed at mom and dad's house, so Lillie often will get it out when she is there. She and Babop were playing it recently ( before he broke his collar bone) and I loved watching them together! The pictures say it all!

Earthquake Update

It has been three weeks since the devastating earthquake hit Sichuan. Fuling, where Lillie is from, was at one time part of the Sichuan province, until Chongqing became a municipality. I have looked for informaiton and updates, but am surprised how little I hear about it. ( I know that is a generalization, but with the statistics, it seems there would be more about it on the news)

Here are the numbers of people affected by this devastation as related by Love Without Boundaries:
71,000 dead
5 million homeless.

In an effort to really grasp the magnitude of the devastation, LWB made some comparisons:

71,000 people dead:
That is 6,000 people less than the population of the city of Melbourne, Australia.
The war in Vietnam claimed the lives of 58,217 American soldiers.

5 million homeless:
That is two-thirds of the population of New York City..that is two-thirds of all the people in NYC suddenly without a home!
The population of Finland is 5.2 million...almost an entire country homeless.


Please keep all of the affected people in your prayers and remember to be thankful for all of the blessings in your life

Taking Time to Love and Enjoy

Lately, I have had a hard time just being mommy. I mean, it is the time of year (end of school) when everything is being finalized for this year and we are thinking about the next. It is the time of year that I am sleep deprived and so I am not as patient as I wish I was with my daughter. It is the time of year when the sun is up later so it is EVEN HARDER to get Lillie to bed.
There has also been a lot of pain around.... I have been so distracted by the Earthquake in China and the devistation left behind. Erik's friend Emory had open heart surgery...and is doing well, but still has a lot of healing to do. My dad fell and broke his collar bone last week and is also in the process of healing. Lillie worries about Babop and "Ne" (what she calls Emory) and that they are sad because of their " big boo boos" as she calls them.
Finally, I have been thinking about Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. His daughter Maria, his youngest and adopted from China, died tragically last week. In an even more painful turn of events, she was hit by a car driven by her teenage brother. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain they are in, or the healing that will need to occur.

Below is a song he wrote and the story behind it. It is called Cinderella and is about not taking little moments for granted.
I am going to try even harder to remember that the most important thing is Lillie and to take time to laugh at the little things... knowing that she is a blessing, even when she is painting herself and the carpet with mascara!



Dear God,
Please be with everyone who is suffering...who has lost their way...who are searching for peace and grace in this crazy world. Help me to remember that every moment we have together is a precious gift.
Amen

Disco Anyone?

Lillie took her glittery headband, some sunglasses and lip gloss....and this was the conclusion! Makes you want to get a perm and wear a Members Only jacket, doesn't it?

Mulan? Geisha?

The other day I left the room and returned to a cloud of baby powder! We keep it around the house to help with her prosthetic, but she thinks it is fun to play with all the time. Well she had it on her legs and arms...but the funniest was her face! It was completely white! I tried to talk to her about making good choices, but it was hard not to just laugh.

What Big Feet You Have!

An Earthquake in China

MMonday, there was an earthquake in southwest China that measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. The area around Chengdu in the Sichuan Province was the hardest hit, with thousands of lives lost. The area where Lillie is from, Fuling, is around 200+ miles from there. As you can imagine, there are a number of waiting parents who are terrified for their children and awaiting news. Reports from Fuling are that the new orphanage has sustained some structural damage, but that all children are safe. There have been hundreds of aftershocks, one reported to be as strong as 6.0. Relief workers have arrived in the epicenter, Wenchuan, and are still checking on Social Welfare Instututes in that area. Please keep these children, their homeland, waiting parents, releif workers, etc. in your prayers. There are organizations that will be taking donations to help with emergency relief in the area, including Love Without Boundaries (LWB) and Our Chinese Daughters Foundation (OCDF).

Time with the Wilsons!

About a month ago Janice, Claire and Ellie came for a visit. The above pictures are from dinner at Aunt Anna's house. Adam's family also came, so it was great fun having everyone together!
The below pictures are from Church that Sunday. We went to Twin Pines to participate in the service. Tracy Parker, the student associate there, was on our trip to Swaziland, so the entire service focused on our trip. It was wonderful to get to share the experience again...and to spend more time with Janice and the girls.

The Arboretum

After we were rained out at the Kitefest, we went to meet Lane and Denise at the Arboretum. It was a chance to spend a little more time together before Denise, Barry and Lane left to go back to DC. Lillie and Lane had a great time!

Kitefest

Lillie and I went to Kitefest the weekend of her birthday. We saw kites and dancers and other local FCC families...but Lillies favorite part of the day was the corn! She had two peices and at it ALL! I am so thankful for these opportunities that we have together... what a great memory!