Sweet Chaos

Amongst all the craziness of the last couple weeks I was reminded today of how sweet this chaos is.

I ordered these two dolls form China Spout awhile ago and when they came in the mail, I cried...not much of a surprise for those who know me :0)

The smaller one will travel with us and we will give it to KayLi when we meet her. The older one is going back in it's box for her birthday, just a month after we return home. I have wanted to order both of these dolls for KayLi for years. To actually see them on her bed was pitifully overwhelming.

So even though my To Do list is growing instead of shrinking and packing is making my head spin, I am so thankful for this sweet chaos. It means our daughter is almost home. It means she will play with these dolls very soon. It means that the truly sweet chaos is about to begin!

In Dreams and in Love...

I think I went a little over the top with the pink in KayLi's room. It's really a Strawberry Milkshake Explosion but I love it! It's sweet and simple and soooooo ready to be played in.

I saw this quote on an adoption blog but I can't remember where...if anyone knows where, let me know and I'd love to link it. It looks like I painted it crocked but I promise it's straight.

I found the wooden ladybug wall hanging almost three years ago and have basically planned the room around it. Emily added bows to her antenna a few months ago...aren't they cute?! I hand painted the flowers and love their little splash of color.

I tried to bring a different color in by painting the inside of one of her closets a spring green. I had a hard time getting the lighting right for this picture though...it's not quite this bright in person.

I love the Moses basket full of dolls! Some were mine, a couple were Emily's and so far there is one of KayLi's. I need to write a post about the Moses basket...it's story is way too long for this one.

I also love the blue jean bag that Emily made KayLi. While my friends and I sewed KayLi's quilt, Emily was very busy with this cute bag. It was so nice to see her pour so much thought and love into it for her little sister.

The string of flower frames will be filled with pictures of our time in China...soon!

My brother and sister in law sent KayLi the surfboard plaque with her name on it. They bought it forever ago at the LA County Fair and now it's finally hanging in her room. Thanks Jay & Wendy! I love the touch of California that it adds.

I'm hoping to find some artwork while we are in China to go above her bed. For now there is a picture of KayLi in all her cuteness!

A huge thank you to Mrs.Barron for the gorgeous handmade quilt at the foot of her bed.
I LOVE it!

Each night as I walk by KayLi's room to go to bed, I imagine how wonderful it will be to peak in and see her sleeping in her sweet bed. Soon, very soon, I'll be able to stop imagining.

Priscilla and I spent a Sunday afternoon stringing this flower garland for her windows and I love how it turned out....so soft and girly. I think I'm going to add some ribbon where the garland connects to the curtain rod. What do you think?

I had so much fun putting the things I've been collecting for KayLi on all her little shelves. I've arranged and rearranged them countless times. There are so many treasures in this picture!

The nannies cradle was made for Emily by a very dear friend of ours, Mr. Renwick. Emily spent so much time rocking her babies and even our cat in this chair. I know KayLi will love it as well.

On top of the small bookshelf are a couple of the Sonya Lee figures we've been collecting from Fisher Price's Little People (there are a few on her dresser too). My brother found the first one...Sonya Lee on a tractor...and we've been searching for them ever since.

Allie's mom bought the little wooden rocking chair when the older grandkids were young and she gave it to Emily several years ago. Now KayLi will be able to enjoy it too. On the back of the rocking chair is the softest afghan ever. Thank you Mrs. Margaret for such a treasured keepsake!!

I could go on forever about each item on the higher shelves...Emily's little bear, the sterling silver fortune cookie that say's Jesus hearts KayLi inside, my favorite dress hanging on a padded hanger with Proverbs 22:16 stitched on it, the heart frame to be filled with a very special picture...but really how much do you want to read ;0)

I do have to mention the small book on the right hand shelf. I've filled it with scriptures that God has used to speak to me and encourage me through the whole adoption process. Every time I get discouraged this book is my weapon. Not once through this process has God failed to lift me up and remind me that He is a covenant keeping God. From the very beginning He has been faithful to provide exactly what we have needed each step of the way. I can't wait to see His promise fulfilled!

Happy Father's Day!

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,

The warmth of the Summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,

The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,

The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagles flight,

The joy of a morning spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,

The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,

Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,

He knew his masterpiece was complete,
And so He called it...Dad.
Author Unknown

A Time To Dance!!!!

I'm so glad no one was around to see it but at 1:09 p.m. we got a phone call from America World telling us that we have
Travel Approval!!!!!

We filled the whole afternoon, ok evening too, with lots of "happy dancing"!!!!

We are breaking up our trip a little by flying to Los Angeles on July 8th and then
we leave for China on July 9th!!!!!

That means that on July 13th I will finally hold this beautiful child in my arms!!!!

Is there a limit on how many exclamation marks you are allowed to use in one post because I am going waaaaaay over!!!!!! The next two and half weeks are going to be beyond crazy (I still have so much work to do!) but I will love every minute because each one brings us closer to God's promise of her!!!!!!!!!

Soon, very soon, we will teach her to dance before the LORD!!!!
This is definitely a time to dance!!!!!

"A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance."
Ecclesiastes 3:4

Sewn Together

"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb."
Psalm 139:13


Several years ago...ok, three years ago, when I began asking everyone to participate in KayLi's 1oo Good Wishes quilt I knew very little about sewing and nothing about quilting. I had no idea that I should probably ask for cotton. So when several people...ok, five sweet people, gave me beautiful silk to sew into her quilt, I was thrilled. The silks were so pretty and what a great way to talk to KayLi about where silk originated and her homeland.

Well it didn't take long for the experienced quilters to let me know that sewing silk into a cotton quilt for a toddler to USE was probably not a great idea. So I have spent a lot of time trying to decided what to do with these gorgeous fabrics. Above is the "mini quilt", the "Five Good Wishes Quilt" that I made yesterday....ok, TJ and I made yesterday.

T.J. came up with a simple quilt design and I sewed the five silks into a 14x14 square. Then T.J. sewed the hand stitched quilt square on top of them...I was chicken! Then we framed it in a shadow box frame.

Two very special things about the fabrics above:

#1 The red silk in the top left corner was given to KayLi by Allies cousin Jennifer. She had a dual marriage ceremony to honor her husbands Vietnamese heritage and this silk was taken from her Vietnamese wedding dress. Thank you so much Jenn for giving KayLi such a precious piece of fabric! We love you and Thai so much!

#2 The hand stitched square that is sewn over the silks was given to KayLi by my sweet friend Myrna. She was a midwife/missionary in Africa for 15 years and I love her to pieces! She sewed two of these precious quilt squares - one for the quilt and one for the scrapbook. You can't tell from the photo but the baby is "stuffed" and puffy - very three dimensional. Thank you so much Myrna for giving KayLi such meaningful and thoughtful squares for her quilts! I can't wait to tell her about her Creator!!!

Thanks again to EVERYONE who helped with the quilt in so many sweet ways...you're awesome!!!

How Beautiful!

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news."
Isaiah 52:7

Through the Shandong Kids chat group I have been able to "meet" three other families who are waiting to bring home children from the Social Welfare Institute in Jining, Shandong (KayLi's orphanage). One of those families is in China right now and they held their son for the first time yesterday! They are staying in Jinan, the capital of Shandong and their child was brought there from the SWI in Jining to meet them.

They said that the director and nanny seem like very loving and caring people who answered many questions for them. The nanny even teared up a little at one point. We have suspected that this little boy is the first international adoption from this SWI and the director confirmed that he is their first adoption ever.

We have all been watching Lydie and her family closely, since we knew they were going first. It's soooooo exciting to see that their son was well cared for! He seemed to have been prepared to meet them and that just thrilled my heart!!!!

Their family will be going to the SWI in Jining today and they have promised to ask about our children. They will not be allowed into the SWI but they will be able to take pictures of the outside. Since KayLi was found at the SWI this is a very special place to us. In the world of adoption, it's called her "finding spot." A place carefully chosen by her birth family. A place where they knew she would be found quickly and cared for. I'm so thankful that Lydie and her family will be able to take pictures and are willing to share with us, since we may not be able to go.

Please pray that they are able to get updates of our children and that maybe, just maybe they will be allowed to see our children and take pictures of them.

It All Adds Up!

Two amazing friends.

Four days of really hard "work."

One very unfortunate frog incident.

(Yes, I'm scared of them.
Yes, I will run and jump on top of a toilet and scream like a little girl if you chase me with one.
And yes, my "friends" will find this so hysterical that they will fall on the floor laughing and still try to take pictures.)

One really big but fixable mistake.

All adds up to one amazing quilt top that is ready to be sent away to be quilted as soon as we return from China.

Thanks beyond thanks to everyone who sent fabric, wrote wishes, cut, sewed, ironed and cooked to welcome KayLi home in such a sweet way.
I know she will tell her grandchildren about you!

Some days my heart aches to hold her and I pray our wait is just a little bit longer.
Today is one of those days.

Showered!!!

On May 31st (I know I'm a little behind) several of my friends from church threw KayLi a baby shower and it couldn't have been sweeter.

Isn't her cake cute!?!?! My friend Jenny made it to look just like the wall in KayLi's room!

Here's a little explaining for those who aren't from Texas. I grew up in Southern California where showers are usually thrown by one, maybe two of your closest friends and that is their gift to you. Here in Texas they do things a little different :0)

Here lots of your close friends all get together and plan the shower. They are called hostesses and they kinda divide up all the different things that need to be done. They also give a joint "Hostess Gift." Well, their Hostess Gift to KayLi was her bed. My mom and sister in law gave her the bedding. Isn't it adorable!?!?! I can't wait to get all of the items we are trying to pack out of KayLi's room to take pictures of how cute it looks in there!

I was overwhelmed by all the sweet gifts! Everyone was so thoughtful!

She got soooooooo many cute dresses and outfits! She is going to be the best dressed little girl in China!

She also received lots of fun toys. I can't wait to spend hours reading, playing with puzzles and molding Playdoh with her!

Some of the gifts where a little more than I expected!

Emily was the official "gift giver" and handed me each gift to open. She even made sure that a few were just right for her little sister.

Emily also made this guest book out of a composition book. She's so clever...thanks for helping her with this Priscilla! She used one of the invitations that my mom made on the cover. Everyone wrote the sweetest thoughts and wishes for KayLi. And Donna Sue wrote down all the gifts, so that I would be able to write thank you cards.

I can't tell you how much it touched my heart to have so many people that I love together in one place welcoming KayLi home. The hostesses were amazing and really went above and beyond! Every gift was appreciated more than I can say. I really can't thank everyone enough! You blessed my socks off!!!!

Fifth Grade Fashion!

It's hard to believe that Emilys fifth grade year is over...sigh! It seems like only yesterday that she stated that this year she was going to be "all about fashion!" She was so excited about the endless possibilities of wardrobe combinations and accessories. She still loves to lay out several outfits at a time and rearrange them over and over, mixing and matching the different styles with various bracelets and necklaces. It's so funny to watch!

So I have been trying to capture a few of my favorite style combinations through out the year with this post in mind. While she wasn't constantly fashion conscience, she really developed a sence of who she was this year.

She even tried her hand at designing a pair of jeans. You have to click on the picture to see that she is pointing to where she wrote "God Rocks". I love the leggings under the jeans...too cute! And I can't tell you how much she loved the green hat...sigh again!

She was all about scarves but somehow I didn't get any pictures of them. At least I took this picture the day she got her new glasses.

Of coarse there was the Red Tie!

Dresses over jeans were a big hit! But neither of us can remember why she was holding the hem up like that. Oh well, the edgy "model look" is still cute!

By the end of the year she was really "all about fashion." Don't you love the two different colored flip flops? So Punky Brewster!

Look out junior high...Emily's coming!!!